I could be wrong but I think .... insurance payments are factored into CS payments so if the NCP carries the insurance CS is reduced but if CP carries the insurance CS increases.

So guessing his CS will increase if she is covering child. But I think hubby can fight it by saying he has always had it why change now? If thats the case I would suggest lowering out of pocket expenses that he covers.

There isn't anything illegal about carrying double insurance because there is a coordination of benefits provision in group insurance contracts.

I'm reading between the lines, but it sounds like DH's divorce decree outlines that he is to carry insurance on his son? Do you think she is suggesting that he drop the coverage and pay her the premium he is paying for the child or perhaps trying to get additional money through child support if he isn't carrying the insurance?

Ok I get it now. She kept insisting he tell her how much of what he pays is for child. Saying that she was trying to get the best possible insurance. And we were scratching our heads thinking how does what he pay have anything to do with which ins. is better....(they're both the same).....but I get it now. LOL.
Well shes in for it when she finds out that in NC, whatever was agreed upon for child support in the divorce decree cant be changed for 3 years unless both parties agree. The courts wont even hear it. She's got 2 more years to go......
She always does this when she gets mad about something. She's never anywhere on the radar until she gets upset about something then she's all over it with all these random things.

It did not occur to me before that this ins. thing could have anything to do with child support. But now that I look a little further there are child support calculators online and they do factor in how much one parent pays for health ins. So if she was thinking about asking for more money, that is why she would need the amt. that he is paying. Her reasoning for asking for the amt. had nothing to do with who's ins. was better. We knew she was up to something else but couldnt figure it out. Thanks Cawfe!

June,

You seem to know more then most would about health ins. If she added son to ins., would that make things difficult when going to the doctors and such? I'm thinking if she adds him anyway to just take ours off (of course with it written and signed ok by her). Because when we took him to the dentist we had to fill out all this paperwork basically telling the ins. company that there was no other ins. on the child. I'm thinking it would make it more of a headache if there was two ins. because then they would argue over who should pay. Our ins. seemed like they were not going to pay if child had other benefits.
I hate ins.!!!!
HaHa

Sminnc:

There is no reason for her to add him to her plan. Assuming that both plans are fairly close in terms of what benefits they provide, she stands very little to gain in terms of benefits and probably will gain nothing.

Call BC BS and ask them what their coordination of benefits rule is in terms of who would be primary and who would be secondary given your specific situation. I'm thinking that if the divorce decree states he is to carry insurance on the child, the insurance company would consider DH's plan to be the primary plan.

Coordination of Benefits rule vary from state to state, so it is best to call BC BS so you know how this will work.

And you are probably right, having two plans may muddy the water when there is a claim, but the good thing is that it is the same insurance company, so it might not be so bad.

Good luck!

Typically once you add 1 spouse and 1 child to your health insurance plan, there's no additional charge to add additional children. Family insurance is just that: it covers the entire family. So if the BM is going on a family plan, she's right, it costs no more to add your SS. There's nothing illegal or wrong about it, and since you both have BC/BS that makes the coordination of benefits even easier if not automatic. So call her bluff, tell her "thanks for the double coverage" and let it go.

Ann

I am a doctor, and in my state, the parent that has the first birthday in the year is the plan that is considered primary. The second one would be a secondary insurance.

Regarding my kids, my ex- is required to pay 1/2 of their medical insurance.

The way we handle it is that I take the cost of a family BCBS plan minus the cost of a single plan, and he pays half.

That is probably what they are trying to get you to do.

It makes sense that you keep what you have. Otherwise, you are probably paying half of the insurance for the rest of her family.

We had something similiar. What the mediator suggested was as follows - each parent should bear health insurance to extent of child costs. It could be 50/50, it could be 60/40. I think that when they work up CS nubmers they come up with this. Then, to extent either party pays health insuarnce, the other gets charged their share. The mediator said if they didnt go with the cheaper option then the other parent wont get charged. So in your case, it would seem that if you dont go with her "no cost" option the mediator would say, OK, then you can deduct any costs of health insurance from CS. This actually seemed fair to me.

Oops typo -- I meant to say you can not deduct any costs of health insurance if you do not go with lower cost option

Just because both plans are BC/BS, doesn't mean that they're the same.

There are very good, comprehensive BC/BS plans, and very restrictive, limited BC/BS plans. Some are HMO, some are PPO, some are hybrid. Some are company-funded and just administered by the health insurance company, which is good in some circumstances and bad in others. So don't assume the plans are the same just because the insurance company is the same.

On COB, the birthday rule will apply unless there is a court order. I am not sure if a divorce decree is considered a court order, but it may well be. You need to check.

COB usually works in this way. The primary plan pays first and secondary plan pays on a secondary basis, up to its level of benefits. Even if it says "come out whole" you only come out whole on the secondary plan if the benefits are better than the primary plan.

So, if first plan has a $500 deductible, PPO plan and secondary plan is $1,000 deductible, secondary plan will most likely not come into play at all in terms of paying on a secondary basis.

Out of pocket and coinsurance works the same way.

Wow! That's alot of information....but all if it is good.
Thanks! I guess we have alot to think about.

In my state, if you are insured by two plans, the primary pays first and then the secondary pays what is left over - so if you have 2 HMO's, the secondary HMO will cover the copay.

The primary plan in my state is determined by whose birthday comes first in the calendar year.

Some of BCBS plans have HUGE deductibles - several thousand dollars.