TITLE 32

DOMESTIC RELATIONS

CHAPTER 12

MANDATORY INCOME WITHHOLDING FOR CHILD SUPPORT

32-1214C.  Medical support order. (1) A medical support notice issued to an employer or plan administrator is a qualified medical support order as defined by 29 U.S.C. section 1169(a) through (c).

(2)  Upon receipt of a national medical support notice, if the employer has one (1) health benefit plan, the employer shall respond within twenty (20) business days and confirm that the child will be enrolled or explain that one (1) of the conditions identified in section 32-1214D, Idaho Code, exists. The employer shall provide the national medical support notice to the plan administrator within twenty (20) business days.

(3)  Upon receipt of a national medical support notice from an employer, the plan administrator shall notify the department or other obligee within forty (40) business days that a health benefit plan will become available for the child, or explain that one (1) of the conditions identified in section 32-1214D, Idaho Code, exists. The plan administrator shall also notify the department or other obligee of any additional steps that need to be taken to complete enrollment. The plan administrator shall notify the department or other obligee when the notice has not been properly filled out, listing the specific deficiencies.

(4)  If more than one (1) plan is available, the child shall be enrolled in the obligor’s plan. If the obligor has not chosen a health benefit plan, the plan administrator or employer shall provide plan descriptions to the department or other obligee within twenty (20) business days. If the department is enforcing the medical support order, the department shall notify the other obligee of the opportunity to choose the health benefit plan within twenty (20) business days. If for any reason the other obligee does not or is not available to choose, the department shall choose the least expensive health benefit plan available to the obligor.

(5)  The employer shall withhold any required premium from the obligor’s income or wages. The amount to be withheld from the income of the obligor shall not exceed the amount specified in section 11-207, Idaho Code. The employer shall forward the premium withheld to the insurer. If the amount of income taken for child support along with the amount taken for medical support exceeds the amount specified in section 11-207, Idaho Code, child support shall be paid first.

(6)  The plan administrator or employer shall provide the department or other obligee with the name of the insurer, the extent of coverage available and other necessary information, and shall make available any necessary claim forms or enrollment membership cards.

(7)  An insurer shall not impose requirements on a state agency, which has been assigned the rights of an individual who is eligible for medical assistance, that are different than the requirements that apply to an agent or assignee of any other covered individual.

(8)  A child covered by a qualified medical child support order, or the child’s custodial parent, legal guardian, or the provider of services to the child, or a state agency to the extent assigned the child’s rights, may file claims and the plan shall make payment for covered benefits or reimbursement directly to such party.

(9)  An insurer shall not consider the availability or eligibility for medical assistance under medicaid, 42 U.S.C. section 1396a., in this or any other state when considering eligibility for health benefits or making payments under its plan. To the extent that payment has been made by medicaid, the department is subrogated to the rights of the individual to payment by any other third party for covered health care items or services.

History:

[32-1214C, added 2003, ch. 304, sec. 4, p. 835.]