[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 7, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E5]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE ENSURING CHILD HEALTH COVERAGE COMPENSATION IN 
                          DIVORCE ACT OF 2019

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2020

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Ensuring Child 
Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2019. This bill would 
require that when a court directs a non-custodial parent (including a 
stepparent) to provide health insurance to a child, the other parent 
can get reimbursed directly from the insurer for any out-of-pocket 
medical expenses for the child incurred by such parent, regardless of 
the source of insurance.
  Typically in a divorce, one parent is court-ordered to provide health 
insurance for the child to prevent the child from going uninsured. 
However, the other parent may pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses 
for the child that are reimbursable by the insurer. Under the Employee 
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, group health insurers are 
required to directly reimburse a parent who pays for reimbursable out-
of-pocket medical expenses when the other parent has been court-ordered 
to provide health insurance for the child. However, other health 
insurers are not required to directly reimburse the other parent.
  This bill would provide the same requirements for all health insurers 
to ensure that the parent who pays for the out-of-pocket medical 
expenses is reimbursed.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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