To ensure that children have access to quality medical care, it is the purpose of the Mandatory Medical Support Act to require parents to provide or purchase health insurance coverage for their minor children when such coverage is available.
History: Laws 1990, ch. 78, § 2; 2003, ch. 287, § 2; 2007, ch. 165, § 2.
ANNOTATIONSThe 2007 amendment, effective June 15, 2007, made the Mandatory Medical Support Act apply to parents whether or not they are responsible for the support of their minor children and eliminated the provision that parents provide dental insurance.
The 2003 amendment, effective April 8, 2003, deleted "of divorced and separated parents" near the beginning, inserted "provide or" preceding "purchase health insurance", and deleted "through employers or unions" at the end.
Medical coverage alone not "child support." — Child support obligation was not met merely by father's provision of medical insurance for child, where such coverage was required by this section, and was in addition to, not in lieu of, father's support obligations under the child support guidelines. Sisneroz v. Polanco, 1999-NMCA-039, 126 N.M. 779, 975 P.2d 392.