Do fathers still have rights?

by Crystal
(Idaho)

My husband has a ten-year-old son with his ex-girlfriend (they were never married). He has never had an order for child support, nor has there ever been any kind of custody arrangement. We do get to see him, not as much as we want, but we do see him. We live an hour away but we are in different states, we are in Idaho, they are in Wyoming. We drive to pick him up and drop him off. We provide most of the essentials he needs such as: clothes, toys, school supplies..... Pretty much everything, but food when he is at his mother's house. Anyway, we got served papers to establish paternity and for child support. Not just child support, but back child support. How can we be made to pay back child support if there was never a child support order and we have been providing for him and all of his needs, doesn't that count?

We have also had medical insurance on him, but apparently she has been using state Medicaid instead of our insurance, why should we get in trouble for that? We are also concerned about the paternity test. Will my husband have any rights if he is not the father? You can't be a dad for ten years and have it taken away from you because people lie and what about the benefit of the child? Are they just going to tell him that he doesn't have a dad anymore? We want to be able to be there for him even if there is no biological relationship, but we don't want to have to pay $1500.00 per month in child support, when what we have been doing has been working out just fine. I have full custody of my seven-year-old daughter and have received less that $400.00 in the five years I have been divorced, so I am no stranger to child support and custody arrangements. The difference is, my husband actually cares and wants to be with his son. My ex-husband couldn't care less. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.