Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8164

Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2026

Child Health Insurance: Direct Payments for Custodial Parents

Mar 30·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently sitting in three different House committees for review. Nothing has happened with the proposal since March 2026, which means it has been stalled for three months. The bill must receive a vote from these committees before it can move forward.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While the bill addresses a common problem for families, it currently lacks broad bipartisan support and was introduced by a non-voting delegate.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 9352 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 9352 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill helps custodial parents manage their children's health insurance when the coverage is provided by a parent who does not live with the child. It ensures that the parent who actually takes the child to the doctor can handle the paperwork and get reimbursed for medical costs.
Health insurance companies would be required to give custodial parents all the information they need to use the child's benefits. This means the parent living with the child does not have to rely on an ex-spouse just to find out what the insurance covers or how to use it.
The policy allows custodial parents or doctors to submit insurance claims without needing permission from the parent who holds the insurance policy. This removes a major hurdle for families where parents may not communicate well or where one parent is hard to reach.
Insurance companies would have to send payment for medical bills directly to the custodial parent or the doctor. Currently, some plans send checks to the person who pays for the insurance, which can make it difficult for the parent who actually paid the doctor to get their money back.
These rules would apply to private group health plans, individual insurance policies, and the health benefits program for federal employees. If passed, these changes would start for insurance plans beginning on or after January 1, 2026.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones3 actions

Mar 30, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Mar 30, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Mar 30, 2026

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E290)

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8164

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.