Q: Am I obligated to pay medical bill for child if I’m the non custodial parent without a child support order?
I was recently the physical custodian. Son decided to move with dad. Dad has never carried insurance or paid any medical bills in the past. The current bill is the dads girl friends name. And she keeps asking for the money and threatening court.
A:
Generally speaking, if there is no order requiring you to pay for the health care costs, then there is no obligation to do so. If the child's father seeks court assistance, he could get an order that requires payment of health care costs that are not reimbursed by an insurance plan. However, the court can't apply the requirements retroactively.
If someone other than a custodian or legal guardian of the child incurs costs, that is usually between them and the provider. It doesn't sound like the girlfriend would have any basis for requiring you to make this payment.
However, if you bring your child to the doctor, you should make sure you don't list someone else as the responsible party without a written agreement or court order allowing you to do so.
In order to fully answer your question, an attorney would need the specific details of your case, which should be discussed in a confidential setting.
Please feel free to contact my office for more information.
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