Coverage dental insurance medical
The need to have an adult available to consent to a minors medical treatment may seem at first like one of the most important reasons to get a guardianship. In case, if you have visions of a child was being hit by a car and no doctor being willing to treat her. Luckily, this is not a realistic worry, as permission by an adult is not required to treat a minor in an emergency.
Formal legal guardianship may be a good idea if you anticipate that the minor will need ongoing health care for serious medical problems.
In general, a legal guardian or relative caregiver has the same right as the parent to consent to medical treatment for the minor. But you are not automatically entitled no authorize all of the minors medical, dental, and mental health treatment. Here are some exceptions:
- Nonemergency surgical procedures generally require the consent of a minor age fourteen or older, as well as that of the guardian or caretaker.
- A guardian or caregiver cannot involuntarily place a minor in a mental health treatment facility unless the minor is a danger to himself or others or gravely disabled.
- A guardian or caregiver cannot authorize a minor to be treated with experimental drugs, to be given convulsive treatment, or to be sterilized.
MEDICAL AND DENTAL INSURANCE COVERAGE
You and your family may be covered by health insurance, perhaps under an insurance policy at a job. If so, you will probably want to include coverage for any minor for whom you are caring. Although signing the caregivers authorization affidavit will allow you to consent to a related minors medical treatment, it will not necessarily qualify the minor for your insurance policy.
Some insurance companies are strict about requiring papers showing a court appointed guardianship before they will extend coverage to minors who live with you. Others will accept alternative documentation, usually if you suggest it. If your insurance company requires a court ordered legal guardianship, you will either need to comply with the companys rules or seek coverage with different heath insurance earlier.
Check with your insurance carrier to find out:
- Whether the minor will be eligible for coverage if you obtain a guardianship and, if so, whether a formal, court ordered guardianship is required for the minor to be covered ; or
- Whether the insurance carrier will accept alternate documentation to a court ordered guardianship for children who live with you. This might be a signed letter from the minors parent, a document such as the caregivers authorization affidavit or a guardianship authorization form, or some other document the insurance company provides.
Get a form commitment from the insurance company that the minor will be covered by your insurance if this is the only reason you are seeking a formal guardianship. You might want to get a written statement from the insurance agent, or check the policy regarding coverage in guardianship situations.
If the minor is covered by health insurance through a parent, that coverage stays in place even if a guardianship is granted.
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