Child support is supposed to cover many of the daily expenses that Peoria, Illinois, parents incur when they are trying to raise their children, expenses such as clothing, food and the cost of shelter, not to mention other important costs like education and even the occasional gift or treat.

When parents are living apart, the idea is that a parent’s child support payment is his or her fair share contribution toward the cost of raising a child. Normally, this works out such that both parents, and the child, are treated fairly.

However, parents no doubt recognize how expensive health care for their children is, even when it comes to routine doctor’s visits. Moreover, the trend toward more and more costly medical services is showing no sign of slowing down.

In other words, a parent’s weekly child support payment may simply not be enough when it comes to covering medical costs. On the other hand, it would not be fair for the parent who is responsible for the child most of the time to have to shoulder these costs alone.

Fortunately, in light of these circumstances, Illinois law allows judges, in their discretion, to order parents to split medical expenses proportionate to their incomes or, if the judge deems it proper, by some other means. Exactly how this gets accomplished is also something the judge will have to decide, provided of course that the parents cannot come to an agreement themselves about how they will divvy up the bills.

The good news is that a parent who needs help with his or her child’s medical expenses can ask the court to require the other parent to contribute, even if that other parent is already paying child support regularly. But, presenting one’s case to a judge will require a careful investigation and thorough preparation.