Divorced Minnesota parents can create provisions in their divorce agreements that state which of the two parents are to pay for medical bills for their children, if one parent or both should do it, and how much each parent is to pay. However, there are times when a parent is slow to pay his or her share. When this happens, you need to take important steps to organize medical bills and receipts that you will need when you seek reimbursement for your child’s medical bills.
First, FindLaw recommends that you retain your medical bills and receipts in the same place. Spreading them out throughout your home only increases the odds that you will lose one or more of your documents, or that you would have to waste time looking for your receipts. You might even forget about one of your bills or a receipt, which can cause great problems if you receive a past due bill or miss an opportunity to file for reimbursement.
If you are concerned about losing any of your documents, create copies of all your receipts and bills. You can take your papers to your local pharmacy and run off duplicates through a print copier. Another option is to make digital copies by scanning the papers into your computer and creating digital files. Having digital files on hand allows you to transmit digital versions of your bills via flash drives or through email if you need to.
It is also important to make sure your health insurance papers are in a secure and accessible place. When you seek to collect on your unpaid medical expenses, you have to fill out an Affidavit of Health Care Expenses which includes the medical bills and receipts. In addition, you also need to provide a copy of the Explanation of Benefits from your insurance policy. Keeping all of your medical papers in a single location will be a great help in getting your paperwork done quickly and easily.
Keep in mind that this article is not written to provide Minnesotans with any legal advice. It is only intended to educate readers on the topic of child support and medical reimbursement.