Legal Question in Family Law in Washington

The issue of who is required to carry health insurance is something that would either be determined by agreement of the parties, or by the court after a trial. No matter who is ordered to carry health insurance (and sometimes both parties are required to carry health insurance), the other parent has a right to see proof of that insurance, and in fact both parents should have a copy of the child's health insurance card, in case the child needs medical attention while with that particular parent. Otherwise, the child should travel with the card on their person at all times, so that no matter which parent, or 3rd person the child is with, someone will always have access to the child's medical insurance card, or cards.

Bottom line: there is no long Washington that requires a custodial parent to carry health insurance, per se. If the custodial parent has no income, or no access to health insurance for other reasons, but the noncustodial parent does have access to health insurance, then it is very possible that the noncustodial parent would be required to carry health insurance for the child. The reverse could be true. Again, it depends on the facts of each case.