All civil child support orders must order the child’s parent or other responsible party to provide health insurance for the child if it is available at a reasonable cost. GS 50-13.11(a1). If coverage is not available at a reasonable cost when the support order is entered, the court must order that health insurance be obtained when it becomes available at a reasonable cost. Recent legislation changes how we determine whether insurance is available at a reasonable cost and the 2015 Child Support Guidelines have been amended to reflect the change.

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