(A) In any action or proceeding in which a child support order is issued or modified, the court, with respect to court child support orders, and the child support enforcement agency, with respect to administrative child support orders, shall determine the person or persons responsible for the health care coverage of the children subject to the child support order and shall include provisions for the health care coverage of the children in the child support order. The order shall specify that the obligor and obligee are both liable for the health care expenses for the children who are not covered by private health insurance according to a formula established by each court, with respect to a court child support order, or each child support enforcement agency, with respect to an administrative child support order.

(B) The child support obligee is rebuttably presumed to be the appropriate parent to provide health insurance coverage for the children subject to the child support order. The order shall specify that the obligee must provide the health insurance coverage unless rebutted pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section.

(1) The court or child support enforcement agency may consider the following factors to rebut the presumption when determining if the child support obligor is the appropriate parent to provide health insurance coverage:

(a) The obligor already has health insurance coverage for the child that is reasonable in cost;

(b) The obligor already has health insurance coverage in place for the child that is not reasonable in cost, but the obligor wishes to be named the health insurance obligor and provide coverage under division (A)(2)(a) of section 3119.302 of the Revised Code;

(c) The obligor can obtain health insurance coverage for the child that is reasonable in cost through an employer or other source. For employer-based coverage, the court or child support enforcement agency shall consider the length of time the obligor has worked with the employer and the stability of the insurance.

(d) The obligee is a non-parent individual or agency that has no duty to provide medical support.

(2) If health insurance coverage for the children is not available at a reasonable cost to the obligor or the obligee at the time the court or agency issues the order, the order shall include a requirement that the obligee obtain health care coverage for the children not later than thirty days after it becomes available to the obligee at a reasonable cost, and to inform the child support enforcement agency when health care coverage for the children has been obtained.

(3) If health insurance coverage becomes available to the obligor at a reasonable cost, the obligor shall inform the child support enforcement agency and may seek a modification of health care coverage from the court with respect to a court child support order, or from the agency with respect to an administrative support order.

(C) When a child support order is issued or modified, the order shall include a cash medical support amount consistent with division (B) of section 3119.302 of the Revised Code for each child subject to the order. The cash medical support amount shall be ordered based on the number of children subject to the order and split between the parties using the parents' income share.

(D) Any cash medical support paid pursuant to division (C) of this section shall be paid through the department of job and family services by the obligor to either the obligee if the children are not medicaid recipients, or to the department of medicaid when a medicaid assignment is in effect for any child under the support order.

(E) The cost of providing health insurance coverage for a child subject to an order shall be defrayed by a credit against that parent's annual income when calculating support as required under section 3119.02 of the Revised Code using the basic child support schedule and applicable worksheet. The credit shall be equal to the total actual out-of-pocket cost for health insurance premiums for the coverage. Any credit given will be less any subsidy, including a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction received by the parent providing coverage.

(F) Both parents may be ordered to provide health care coverage and pay cash medical support if the obligee is a nonparent individual or agency that has no duty to provide medical support.

Amended by 133rd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 166, §101.01, eff. 10/17/2019.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 366, §1, eff. 3/28/2019.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 70, §1, eff. 2/11/2019.

Effective Date: 12-13-2002; 2007 HB119 06-30-2007 .