• 06
  • May
    2011

When a parent is attempting to attain joint or full custody of a child in a divorce, the court places each parent's independent living situation under intense scrutiny to plan a living situation that is in the very best interest of the child. Part of this examination will most certainly involve a parent's ability to provide proper healthcare and health insurance to the child. Doing so just got a bit easier in Colorado, especially in such cases where the child has a serious pre-existing health condition that might have caused them to be uninsurable in the past.

Last Friday, April 29th, a new Colorado state law went into effect that requires insurance carriers to issue child-only insurance policies and to issue such policies without taking a child's health situation into consideration. This new law will provide Colorado parents heath care options previously unavailable to them and their children.

For instance, a divorced mother whose job does not provide health insurance benefits to dependents can now show the court when determining a custody agreement that she can buy a policy solely for her child while maintaining her own benefits through her employer. Her newfound ability to provide health coverage may factor into the court's decision when determining the amount of custody over the child she receives.

Colorado's new law is in alignment with Federal Healthcare Reform rules that went into effect last year. It's adoption at the state level has already caused insurance giant Aetna to pull out of the individual insurance policy market in Colorado, citing their inability to offer such policies at a competitive rate under the new law. Despite concerns of insurance companies, many Colorado parents didn't hesitate in issuing a collective sigh of relief as the new law went into effect last week, allowing them to better provide for their children.

Source: Boulder County Business Report "Carriers must offer child-only plans" by Beth Potter, 5/6/11