Detroit, MI asked in Child Support for Michigan

Q: Will I be charged for child support since my girlfriend and I cannot afford to get married yet and she’s on Medicaid??

My girlfriend is on Medicaid in Michigan and we are about to have our first baby. I just graduated college and am looking for a full-time job. In the meantime while we save up for a place of our own we are staying with her parents. I read that the state of michigan charges the father some amount of child support if the mother’s medical expenses were covered by medicaid. I’m scared of getting charged a ton of money for this and am curious if anyone can provide more info on the matter. We plan to get married at some point but we’re trying to save all of our money for the baby. Will I be charged child support even though we are together? Should I change my address through the secretary of state so the state knows we are living together? Please advise. Thanks in advance!

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1 Lawyer Answer

A: Yes, if Medicaid pays for the birth expenses, you will get a bill at some point. You may want to rethink holding off on marriage if your girlfriend is the person you intend to marry at some point any way. It may be cheaper for you in the long run to marry now. You also want to be sure your girlfriend has properly disclosed the fact that you reside together to DHS, including your income. Far too often, people end up with welfare fraud charges when it's discovered someone else is residing in the household - doesn't matter if you are married or not.

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