25-7A-58. Health insurance for dependent child. If an order for support requires a parent of a dependent child to provide health insurance coverage for that child, any insurer subject to chapter 58-33 and who is engaged in the business of health insurance as well as any employer or union who provides family health insurance coverage to its employees or members, upon receiving written notice of such order and an application from either the noncustodial parent, custodial parent, or the department, or upon receiving a national medical support notice from any Title IV-D agency, is required to allow enrollment of such dependent child without regard to any applicable enrollment season restrictions and without being subject to underwriting restrictions or exclusionary riders. The insurer or plan administrator shall also complete the applicable sections of the national medical support notice within forty business days of the date of the notice and forward the notice to any person or entity specified in the notice. No insurer, employer, or union providing family health insurance benefit plans as set out in this section may eliminate or cancel the ordered medical support coverage for the dependent child unless it is provided evidence that:

(1) The original court or administrative order is no longer in effect;

(2) The dependent child is or will be enrolled in comparable health insurance coverage through another insurer or employer and which coverage will take effect not later than the effective date of the elimination or cancellation of the previous health insurance coverage;

(3) As an employer or union, and not a health insurer subject to the provisions of this section, who previously provided family health insurance benefit coverage to its employees or members, the employer or union has eliminated family health insurance coverage to all of its employees or members; or

(4) Any available continuation coverage is not elected, or the period of such coverage has expired.

Optional or supplementary coverages are not required to be included in the medical support health insurance coverage unless specifically required by the order for support. Any person or insurer who fails to comply with this section is, in addition to any other penalties permitted by law, subject to the enforcement and penalty provisions of Title 58.

Any employer who intentionally fails to comply with any duties imposed by this section commits a petty offense.

Source: SL 1994, ch 387, § 16; SL 2002, ch 128, § 1.