Family Law Code - Right of other parent to get Medical
Insurance Information 3751.5.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an employer or insurer
shall not deny enrollment of a child under the health insurance coverage of
a child's parent on any of the following grounds:
(1) The child was born out of wedlock.
(2) The child is not claimed as a dependent on the parent's federal
income tax return.
(3) The child does not reside with the parent or within the
insurer's service area.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in any case in
which a parent is required by a court or administrative order to provide
health insurance coverage for a child and the parent is eligible for family
health coverage through an employer or an insurer, the employer or insurer
shall do all of the following, as applicable:
(1) Permit the parent to enroll under health insurance coverage any
child who is otherwise eligible to enroll for that coverage, without regard
to any enrollment period restrictions.
(2) If the parent is enrolled in health insurance coverage but
fails to apply to obtain coverage of the child, enroll that child under the
health coverage upon presentation of the court order or request by the
local child support agency, the other parent or person having custody of the
child, or the Medi-Cal program.
(3) The employer or insurer shall not disenroll or eliminate
coverage of a child unless either of the following applies:
(A) The employer has eliminated family health insurance coverage
for all of the employer's employees.
(B) The employer or insurer is provided with satisfactory written
evidence that either of the following apply:
(i) The court order or administrative order is no longer in effect
or is terminated pursuant to Section 3770.
(ii) The child is or will be enrolled in comparable health
insurance coverage through another insurer that will take effect not later
than the effective date of the child's disenrollment.
(c) In any case in which health insurance coverage is provided for
a child pursuant to a court or administrative order, the insurer
shall do all of the following:
(1) Provide any information, including, but not limited to,
the health insurance membership or identification card regarding the child,
the evidence of coverage and disclosure form, and any other information
provided to the covered parent about the child's health care coverage to the
noncovered parent having custody of the child or any other person having
custody of the child and to the local child support agency when requested by
the local child support agency.
(2) Permit the noncovered parent or person having custody of the
child, or a provider with the approval of the noncovered parent or person
having custody, to submit claims for covered services without the approval
of the covered parent.
(3) Make payment on claims submitted in accordance with
subparagraph (2) directly to the noncovered parent or person having custody,
the provider, or to the Medi-Cal program. Payment on claims for
services provided to the child shall be made to the covered parent for
claims submitted or paid by the covered parent.
(d) For purposes of this section, "insurer" includes every health
care service plan, self-insured welfare benefit plan, including those
regulated pursuant to the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 1001, et seq.), self-funded
employer plan, disability insurer, nonprofit hospital service plan, labor
union trust fund, employer, and any other similar plan, insurer, or entity
offering a health coverage plan.
(e) For purposes of this section, "person having custody of the
child" is defined as a legal guardian, a caregiver who is authorized to
enroll the child in school or to authorize medical care for the child
pursuant to Section 6550, or a person with whom the child resides.
(f) For purposes of this section, "employer" has the meaning
provided in Section 5210.
(g) For purposes of this section, the insurer shall notify the
covered parent and noncovered parent having custody of the child or
any other person having custody of the child in writing at any time that
health insurance for the child is terminated.
(h) The requirements of subdivision (g) shall not apply unless the
court, employer, or person having custody of the child provides the insurer
with one of the following:
(1) A qualified medical child support order that meets the
requirements of subdivision (a) of Section 1169 of Title 29 of the United
States Code.
(2) A health insurance coverage assignment or assignment order made
pursuant to Section 3761.
(3) A national medical support notice made pursuant to Section
3773.
(i) The noncovered parent or person having custody of the child
may contact the insurer, by telephone or in writing, and request information
about the health insurance coverage for the child. Upon request of
the noncovered parent or person having custody of the child, the insurer
shall provide the requested information that is specific to the health
insurance coverage for the child.
