Paying partial health insurance

[cblan10]

My husband and his ex-wife share 50/50 custody of their three kids. Since the divorce, the kids have been on her health insurance because it was cheaper than his. He pays her child support due to the difference in their incomes and he also sends a separate check each month that contributes to their health insurance. We recently realized that we could put his 3 kids on my insurance because I already pay for employee and children and it wouldn't raise our rates at all. Their mom is resisting this and won't say why. We think it's because she has another child that's not his and she pays for his insurance. Hers would not go down any to take our 3 off so we'd pay less but she'd pay the same and he wouldn't give her the extra towards insurance if we are covering them. Can we move them to my insurance and stop sending the additional money anyway? His obligation is to pay for insurance for his 3...not contribute to her other child's insurance. So if we're totally providing insurance, can she say anything about him not sending the extra money?

 

[Zigner]

My husband and his ex-wife share 50/50 custody of their three kids. Since the divorce, the kids have been on her health insurance because it was cheaper than his. He pays her child support due to the difference in their incomes and he also sends a separate check each month that contributes to their health insurance. We recently realized that we could put his 3 kids on my insurance because I already pay for employee and children and it wouldn't raise our rates at all. Their mom is resisting this and won't say why. We think it's because she has another child that's not his and she pays for his insurance. Hers would not go down any to take our 3 off so we'd pay less but she'd pay the same and he wouldn't give her the extra towards insurance if we are covering them. Can we move them to my insurance and stop sending the additional money anyway? His obligation is to pay for insurance for his 3...not contribute to her other child's insurance. So if we're totally providing insurance, can she say anything about him not sending the extra money?

Please have your husband log on to ask his own questions about his own legal matters. Please tell him to create his own unique user-id. Thank you in advance for your gracious cooperation.

 

[Ohiogal]

My husband and his ex-wife share 50/50 custody of their three kids. Since the divorce, the kids have been on her health insurance because it was cheaper than his. He pays her child support due to the difference in their incomes and he also sends a separate check each month that contributes to their health insurance. We recently realized that we could put his 3 kids on my insurance because I already pay for employee and children and it wouldn't raise our rates at all. Their mom is resisting this and won't say why. We think it's because she has another child that's not his and she pays for his insurance. Hers would not go down any to take our 3 off so we'd pay less but she'd pay the same and he wouldn't give her the extra towards insurance if we are covering them. Can we move them to my insurance and stop sending the additional money anyway? His obligation is to pay for insurance for his 3...not contribute to her other child's insurance. So if we're totally providing insurance, can she say anything about him not sending the extra money?

OUR THREE? They are NOT your children.

 

[t74]

Is insurance coverage addressed in the court orders?

 

[Ohiogal]

We also do not know what state the court orders are in.

 

[Zigner]

Both are great questions for the father to respond to

 

[stealth2]

So wait. OP isn't happy that Mom wants to keep the kids on her insurance because then Mom gets a "freebie" for her other child, yet OP basically wants to do the same thing with her husband's kids? LOL

 

[cbg]

No one will be able to change the children's health insurance until the next Open Enrollment period in any case. It's not just something you can opt to do any old time you feel like it.

 

[cblan10]

wow....y'all...I wasn't trying to be snarky. I said our three because we're married and I take care of them the same amount of time as their mom and she refers to me as their mom also.

I'm not trying to get a freebie. We would both get to keep more money every month if this gets to happen. Mom's house and Dad's house.

Dad's tried to talk to her to see about this possibility but she won't communicate with him so I was trying to see how this normally works.

 

[cblan10]

No one will be able to change the children's health insurance until the next Open Enrollment period in any case. It's not just something you can opt to do any old time you feel like it.

I'm aware of that and our open enrollment is in August so we were trying to figure it out before then.

 

[cblan10]

We also do not know what state the court orders are in.

Louisiana

 

[cbg]

Does the court say that he pays the extra for the health insurance? Did the court order that the children be on her insurance rather than his?

 

[cblan10]

So wait. OP isn't happy that Mom wants to keep the kids on her insurance because then Mom gets a "freebie" for her other child, yet OP basically wants to do the same thing with her husband's kids? LOL

nope.....mom and I both pay the exact same amount right now for Employee and Children (we work for the same school system so same insurance). But Dad has to reimburse her for something we're already paying for at our house that his kids would be included on.

 

[cblan10]

Does the court say that he pays the extra for the health insurance? Did the court order that the children be on her insurance rather than his?

I believe it's just that they have to both contribute to the insurance. So if they're on hers, he helps......if they're on his, she helps. But we weren't going to ask her to help since it would go in with what we're already paying.

 

[cbg]

If the specifics of the agreement were to be arranged between you, then I don't see any legal reason why you can't put the children on your insurance during your Open Enrollment and stop making the payment to her. Whether that would be a wise thing to do with regards to good co-parenting is not a call I'm willing to make.