Canceling Health Insurance Plan for a Child Under a Court Order

WHEN YOU WANT YOUR EMPLOYER TO STOP PROVIDING MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR YOUR CHILD

There are some instances where a custodial or noncustodial parent wants their boss or human resources office to STOP deducting their paychecks for health insurance premium amounts that go toward insuring their dependent child. Employers who abide by family court orders may be reluctant to violate an order commanding them to insure an employee’s child.  In such situations, it is difficult for the parent to stop insurance premium deductions from coming out of their paychecks.

Scenario 1

One situation where a parent might want the employer to stop providing court-ordered insurance for their child and cease deductions is when the other parent begins providing insurance for the child voluntarily, thus making the child twice insured. Without a new updated court order confirming the other parent will begin to carry the child on their health insurance plan, the initial parent ordered to carry the child through their employer provided insurance plan may be unable to drop coverage. Employers can’t be blamed for their hesitance to drop coverage on a child without an updated order.

Scenario 2

Another situation where a parent finds themselves needing to have their employer stop providing court-ordered insurance coverage for their child is when the parent obtains cheaper  coverage from “another source” for the child. This usually happens when the parent finds insurance for the child on the open market that is below the cost of their employer-based insurance. Still another situation is when that parent’s new spouse (step-parent) gains access to cheap insurance for his step-child through their employer, and the initial parent wants to take advantage of the cheaper rate and cancel her pricier insurance.

Whatever the reason a parent might desire to make their employer stop providing court-ordered insurance and stop suffering from the forced deductions hitting their paychecks, the best way to go about ceasing coverage is to quickly obtain a court-order modifying the insurance terms and send it to their employer. Modified court orders can be obtained relatively easy through an attorney. Additionally, if available, temporary modified orders can help bring relief even faster if the deductions hitting the parent’s paychecks are really high.