Hesistant to put future stepkids on insurance
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Getting married in a few weeks. But i dont want to put stepkids on my medical insurance. the reason i would do this is because their bio dad lives out of state. and his insurance is hmo. which is no good in minnesota. he lives in new jersey. i think if he had ppo it would be different. i dont want to put them on my insurance because i dont wanna be liable for any child support if we ever happened to get divorced. not thinking negatively, just being realistic. now if we got divorced, the judge could say well you have been taking care of them. paying rent, buying food, their on your insurance. ok you gotta pay such and such amount for child support. i only want to be responsible for my biological children if a divorce ever happens.
Yeah I would put them on your
Yeah I would put them on your insurance as well.You wouldn't be responsible for child support of your step children after a divorce.
Double check with bio dad.
Double check with bio dad. Companies often have different plan options based on their location so even though dad has a specific HMO available in his state it "could" be completely different options based on where skids live.
Actually...on this one...I
Actually...on this one...I would take the time and money to go and ask a competent attorney about it.
Laws are different everywhere. In Canada, at least in some provinces, his fears would be legit.
A step-parent CAN be caused to pay child-support to an ex-stepkid. I think the term is something like "in loco parentis" or
some such thing. If you are seen as acting in the place of a parent...you could be tapped for child support. Hell...I was almost
caught in that. I was the main earner in a past marriage...HE was trying to come after ME for child
support of my step-son, the son hadn't been in my home long enough, thank God. Some women make a tidy income from collecting child support on one child...from a bio-dad and an ex-step-dad.
Go check it out with a lawyer!
I spoke with a family friend
I spoke with a family friend (also a judge) about this, and I'm also Canadian.
1. No step parent is liable for monies after divorce of a non biological child.
Under EXTREME circumstances, if it can be shown that there is a substantial difference in quality of living between households, like I'm talking welfare receiving VS. mutimillionaire living, then yes, some monies may be awarded. This would only happen if also the bio parent had proof that they could not earn a wage.
AND the kid had to have been living in the home of the 'rich' parent.
I had skid on my supplemental insurance for about 3mins. (BM tried to get information through the pharmacy to 'claim' drug copays herself.) Privileges REVOKED.
I was personally hesitant of
I was personally hesitant of this as well - our BM lives out of state as well and the plan would be considered "out of network" thus making a deductible on my plan - and who pays for that? Sure as heck not me. Right now they are covered on BM's husband's plan, but its actually my DH's responsibility to carry them. And between DH and I, my insurance is MUCH better and cheaper.
If BM decides to enforce DH paying insurance, which would mean they go on my plan (because it's cheaper), I would personally have an attorney draft something that BM must sign and notarize that states she is responsible for half (or all?) of the deductible for out of network OR she must drive here to take them in network or something.
I also have fears of her having my social security number...
here in MA (i work in
here in MA (i work in benefits) you can insure stepchildren provided you provide the proper documentation that htey are indeed your stepchildren (their birth certs with your spouses name listed as parent, and then your marriage certificate).
usually, upon divorce, you no longer have to cover your spouse UNLESS your court order dictates it. And often times the ex-spouse is required to pay you the difference between what your insurance would cost with them on it vs. without them on it.
you should in theory be able to drop the SK's in teh event of a divorce because they are no longer your step kids once you divorce AND the burden of providing insurance is on their parents, not you. If your spouse's divorce decree as it pertains to the children says he is to provide insurance, then he is going to have to provide it, not you.
I asked that question years
I asked that question years ago when I got insurance about putting SD on it and they told me just because I'm married to her dad and I'm NOT BM (especially on the birth certificate I CANNOT ADD her to any health insurance policy.
I added SD to my insurance. I
I added SD to my insurance. I am very familiar with our state laws, if DH & I divorced (I don't see that happening, lol, but I doubt anyone every does) I would have no legal connection to SD what so ever. Meaning I wouldn't have to support her nor would I have rights to see her.
I put the skids on my
I put the skids on my insurance. It didn't cost me any extra since I have a family plan, and I have my account set up so BM can't access any personal information. I don't mind SS15 being on there, but now I have to go through the PITA process of taking Faux off.
I had this dilemma a few
I had this dilemma a few months back. SD6 had always been covered under BM's state insurance (she's on welfare) but she was caught committing welfare fraud (claiming she has SD full time when she only has her 1 day per week) so her benefits/health insurance were taken away.
DH is on my insurance and his employer does not offer insurance.
I knew the risks of not adding her to my insurance but at the end of the day decided not to. She's not my child and providing her with health insurance is not my responsibility. I knew DH or BM would never reimburse me for the cost of adding her (neither one of them are used to PAYING for their insurance) and I could see BM pulling some crap like taking SD to the hospital for unnecessary things and then sticking me with the bill (she's one of those who would drag her kid to the hospital instead of the doctor's office because it was free for her).
At the end of it, the state did allow BM to get health insurance back for SD so I didn't have to worry about it. I say it's 100% your call. If the additional expense isn't going to hurt you or you will be reimbursed for it & the bioparent won't pull any crap & stick you with the bill, I don't see a problem with it. But I would think hard about it to make sure you aren't putting yourself in a bad position.