Reimbursement for counseling?
Forums:
SS13 is undergoing therapy - not court ordered, but BM approved and supported, but she will not reimburse DH for her percentage of this cost as she does not believe this is a "medical expense." She is ordered to pay her percentage of all "medical expenses" but, of course, that term is very vague and subjective.
If this matter was brought to court as an issue, would "counseling" or "therapy" fall under "medical expense" or not?
Therapy is a medical expense.
Therapy is a medical expense. Tell her to pay up.
That's always a good way to
That's always a good way to think about it!
Yes, it is a medial expense.
Yes, it is a medial expense. Tell her to pay. If she refuses, get it in writing and take it to your attorney.
Yes it will.... Does medical
Yes it will.... Does medical insurance cover mental health? Yes. Therefor does the term "medical expenses" cover mental health... absolutely. Take her to court. It will only look bad on her.
Exactly. I would think
Exactly. I would think anything covered by medical insurance would, in fact, be a medical expense.
In my DH's CO, BM had 6 MONTHS to submit bills for medical things (she took them in for anything and everything...seriously) and my DH had 30 days to reimburse. She would get second and third opinions on things like acne and shin splits and scoliosis...IMO, just an attempt to screw my DH - she rarely followed up on any recommendations - like having skid WASH FACE for acne or get physical therapy for scoliosis.
She had a hissy fit because I went through all the medical bills with a fine tooth comb. That was because I could pay attention to detail and see when she would try to slide in bills that he had already reimbursed her for or bills for HER rather than for the skids! I also found some bills that she waited about a month over the six months time she was allotted to submit them ("180 days from date incurred"). So, I advised DH to not pay those. I felt like 6 months was WAY more than adequate time to submit bills to him.
She freaked out, of course. She argued in court that he should have to pay those bills. The judge did not rule on that but did rule that she was in Contempt for Willful Violation of Visitation (whole 'nother story). She argued with us (even after court) that "incurred" meant AFTER insurance paid their portion. DH's argument against that "logic" was if the medical insurance never paid their part, you would never incur a bill! Try telling THAT to the hospital billing department!! LOL
My health insurance covers
My health insurance covers mental health treatment, and as far as I know, most plans do. So yes, I would consider it a medical expense. Absolutely.
If medical insurance pays a
If medical insurance pays a portion, it is indeed a legitimate medical expense. If not, it is a gray area. SD15 is having "energy work" done (Reiki or something) and getting massage "therapy" as well as yoga classes for her "stress"... I don't think those should be reimbursed by her father. We just sent off a check for half the meds and insurance copays for the two counseling visits per week, so at some point, one has to say enough is enough.
I see that many of you agree
I see that many of you agree that if it is covered under insurance, than it is a "medial expense." Tricky question here though, "mental health" IS covered under our insurance, but not the particular provider they agreed to have SS see. He is considered completely out of network and is out of pocket only. He is covered under my HSA though. Do you ladies think this would make it more of a gray area?
You may have to ask a judge
You may have to ask a judge to resolve this. My DH had to pay for BM's family pool membership for summers while SD was on swim team because of the way the CO was written. If the CO is not clear, your only recourse may be to ask the judge. If the court option will cost you a lot in attorney's fees, it may be a wash financially vs. just paying the whole cost. Is there no therapist in network that SS can see?
A judge could order her to
A judge could order her to pay only what would be a portion of the copay for an in-network provider. Just no way to know how it would go. If this is short-term, it might not be worth the hassle of going to court. Or you could ask her to pay the portion as if the therapist WAS a network provider. Better than nothing!
Thank you, that might seem
Thank you, that might seem reasonable. SS has been in therapy for 1 1/2 years not coping well with the changes of divorce, our marriage, and his reactions to BMs not coping well. Everyone LOVES this therapist and agrees it's beneficial. I'm just happy we found him.
SS will likely continue for the long-term.
Therapy, optical, dentistry
Therapy, optical, dentistry are all medical costs. If you have a referral from your PCP there will likely be no wiggle room for her to have to pay her share of the counseling. Go get a referral.
Drag her idiot ass back to court. I have zero tolerance for toxic idiots.
Hold her accountable for her responsibility to her kid.
IMHO of course.