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Dentist bill

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ntjch

Junior Member
My joint child has Medical Assistance in Minnesota. Her mother chose to take her to a dentist that does not accept her insurance, without notifying me that she went to this appointment; I have joint legal custody. Prior to this, I sent her information about dentists in the area that accept her insurance. She still took her to a dentist that did not accept her insurance without me knowing about it, I then received a bill for half of that appointment, am I legally responsible to pay that?
 


justalayman

Senior Member
My joint child has Medical Assistance in Minnesota. Her mother chose to take her to a dentist that does not accept her insurance, without notifying me that she went to this appointment; I have joint legal custody. Prior to this, I sent her information about dentists in the area that accept her insurance. She still took her to a dentist that did not accept her insurance without me knowing about it, I then received a bill for half of that appointment, am I legally responsible to pay that?
What does your parenting agreement say to liability of such debts.
 

ntjch

Junior Member
What does your parenting agreement say to liability of such debts.
It does say that I’m responsible for 50% of uninsured bills, however, I told her before the appointment that she needed to take our daughter to a dentist that accepts her insurance, and without notifying me about her appointment, took her to a dentist that doesn’t accept her insurance anyway.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
To answer your very first question:

Yes you are obligated to pay the bill. The provider is not a party to your agreement and as such, a bill created by treating your child is you and the mothers liability.

Other than that, whether you have an right to seek repayment from the mother will depend on whether either party is obligated to consult and especially agree on a particular provider or not. If there is no obligation then you owe your share. If there is some clause that demands prior notice or agreement, then you have an arguable position to demand the difference between your share of this bill and what your share of s bill at a covered provider would be.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
Also, the "why" in the whole situation also matters. If there was a particular, at least somewhat valid reason why mom chose the particular dentist she chose, that would also factor into the matter.
 

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