Texas Family Code - Section 154.182. Health Insurance
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§ 154.182. HEALTH INSURANCE. (a) The court shall
consider the cost and quality of health insurance coverage
available to the parties and shall give priority to health
insurance coverage available through the employment of one of the
parties.
(b) In determining the manner in which health insurance for
the child is to be ordered, the court shall render its order in
accordance with the following priorities, unless a party shows good
cause why a particular order would not be in the best interest of
the child:
(1) if health insurance is available for the child
through the obligor's employment or membership in a union, trade
association, or other organization at reasonable cost to the
obligor, the court shall order the obligor to include the child in
the obligor's health insurance;
(2) if health insurance is not available for the child
through the obligor's employment but is available for the child at a
reasonable cost through the obligee's employment or membership in a
union, trade association, or other organization, the court may
order the obligee to provide health insurance for the child, and, in
such event, shall order the obligor to pay additional child support
to be withheld from earnings under Chapter 158 to the obligee for
the actual cost of the health insurance for the child;
(3) if health insurance is not available for the child
under Subdivision (1) or (2), the court shall order the obligor to
provide health insurance for the child if the court finds that
health insurance is available to the obligor for the child from
another source and at reasonable cost;
(4) if neither parent has access to private health
insurance at a reasonable cost, the court shall order that the
custodial parent or, to the extent permitted by law, the
noncustodial parent immediately apply on behalf of the child for
participation in a medical assistance program under Chapter 32,
Human Resources Code, or the state child health plan under Chapter
62, Health and Safety Code, and that the obligor pay additional
child support, to be withheld from income under Chapter 158, to the
obligee for the actual cost of participation of the child in the
state child health plan; or
(5) if health coverage is not available for the child
under Subdivision (1), (2), (3), or (4), the court shall order the
obligor to pay the obligee, in addition to any amount ordered under
the guidelines for child support, a reasonable amount each month as
medical support for the child to be withheld from earnings under
Chapter 158.
(c) In this section, "reasonable cost" has the meaning
assigned by Section 154.181(e).
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 20, § 1, eff. April 20, 1995.
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 550, § 2, eff. June 2, 1997;
Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 449, § 2, eff. June 5, 2001; Acts 2003,
78th Leg., ch. 610, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Section: 154.128 154.129 154.130 154.131 154.132 154.133 154.181 154.182 154.183 154.184 154.185 154.186 154.187 154.188 154.189
Last modified: August 11, 2007
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