§ 19-6-29.Inclusion of accident and sickness insurance coverage in order for child support; payroll deductions

Chapter 6. Alimony and Child Support · Article 1. General Provisions · Last amended 2017 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-6-29 lets a Georgia court look into whether a parent can get accident and sickness insurance for a child, include that coverage in the support order, and order the premiums paid by payroll deduction.

Full Text of § 19-6-29

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c)

(a) In any case before the court involving child support, the court may inquire into the availability of accident and sickness insurance coverage to any person obligated to support and, if such coverage is reasonably available, may include in the order of support provision for such coverage.

(b) Any order of support of a child entered or modified on or after July 1, 1992, which includes provision for accident and sickness insurance may include a provision for payroll deduction of an amount which is sufficient to provide for the payment of premiums of such accident and sickness insurance.

(c) An order for payroll deduction entered pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section shall be consistent with the provisions of Code Sections 19-6-30 through 19-6-33.1.

End

Plain-English Summary

Health coverage is a large part of supporting a child. In any child support case, the court may inquire whether accident and sickness insurance is available to anyone obligated to pay support. If the coverage is reasonably available, the court may include a provision for it in the support order. Both steps are discretionary.

For support orders entered or modified on or after July 1, 1992 that include an insurance provision, the court may also order a payroll deduction large enough to pay the premiums. Any such payroll deduction order must be consistent with §§ 19-6-30 through 19-6-33.1, the sections that govern garnishment, income withholding and the family support registry.

Section 19-6-15 addresses how health insurance premiums factor into the child support calculation, and § 19-11-27 gives the child support enforcement agency and the other party tools to compel coverage when a parent ordered to carry it doesn’t, including the National Medical Support Notice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Georgia court order a parent to carry health insurance for a child?

Yes. In any case involving child support, the court may look into whether accident and sickness insurance is available to the parent obligated to pay support and, if it is reasonably available, may include coverage in the support order. Both decisions rest in the court’s discretion.

Can health insurance premiums for my child come straight out of a paycheck?

They can. A support order entered or modified on or after July 1, 1992 that includes an insurance provision may also include a payroll deduction sufficient to pay the premiums. The deduction order must be consistent with §§ 19-6-30 through 19-6-33.1.

What does “reasonably available” insurance mean here?

The section doesn’t define it. It lets the court inquire into whether accident and sickness coverage is available to the person obligated to support the child, and include coverage in the order if it is reasonably available. Whether coverage meets that standard is left to the court’s judgment on the facts of each case.

What if a parent ordered to provide health insurance doesn’t do it?

Section 19-11-27 addresses that. When a parent fails to provide court-ordered accident and sickness coverage or lets it lapse, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Community Health, or the other party may compel the parent to obtain it, including through a notice of enrollment or a National Medical Support Notice.

Does this section require health insurance in every Georgia support order?

No. The court “may” inquire into coverage and “may” include it, and the payroll deduction for premiums is also optional. Nothing in this section makes insurance mandatory. But § 19-6-15(c)(2)(D) separately requires the court, in the final orders it governs, to order coverage when health insurance is reasonably available at a reasonable cost to either parent.

Amendment History

Laws 1985, p. 785, § 3; Laws 1992, p. 1264, § 1; Laws 2017, Act 242, § 1-10, eff. July 1, 2017.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly, and checked word for word against the Georgia Code Revision Commission’s public-domain edition and the acts that later amended it. Section headings are the Code’s official catchlines. Last verified October 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: child health insurance order georgiamedical support child support georgiapayroll deduction health insurance childaccident and sickness insurance child support