40-5-805: Establishing medical support orders.

(1) In an action or proceeding to establish a child support order, whether temporary or final, or to modify an existing child support order, the tribunal shall also establish a medical support order. In establishing a medical support order, a tribunal shall consider:

(a) the best interests of the child;

(b) the child's present and anticipated needs for medical care;

(c) the financial ability of the parents to pay for individual insurance or a health benefit plan; and

(d) the extent to which an available health benefit plan or individual insurance coverage is subsidized or reduced in cost by an employer or by participation in a plan on a group basis.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this part, a tribunal may not consider a child's eligibility for a public assistance program as a factor in determining a parent's financial ability to afford individual insurance or a health benefit plan.