Set and Enforce Medical Support

By law ORS always seeks medical support as part of child support. 

Parents usually provide medical support by putting their children on their employer’s health insurance plan. 

ORS sets medical support when setting a child support order outside of court. When we need to, we will also change court orders to include medical support.

As part of enforcing medical support, ORS sends a National Medical Support Notice to employers. 

This notice requires employers to put a child on their parent’s health insurance, when a plan is available. The notice also requires the employer to withhold the money needed to pay for the insurance plan.

When a parent gives us proof of health insurance coverage for the child, we do not have to send the National Medical Support Notice.

Parents may receive a credit for paying for their children’s health insurance if the medical support order was set in Utah. 

The credit can reduce the amount of child support that a noncustodial parent pays. The credit may also help the custodial parent collect a portion of the premiums paid. 

The credit may be worth up to half of the amount the parent pays for the child’s part of the insurance.

Parents must contact ORS to ask for the credit. Parents must also give us the insurance documentation we need to process the credit.

The credit will start the month after ORS receives all of the information needed to calculate the amount.