Medical Expense Deduction Coalition Praises House, Senate Legislation

The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living has joined with other members of the Medical Expense Deduction Coalition, including AARP, on a letter to lawmakers who introduced bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate to make permanent the 7.5 percent threshold for the medical expense deduction.  The coalition sent the correspondence to Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) in support of H.R. 2073 in the House and to Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to back companion legislation in the Senate, S. 110.  In the House, the bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee for further action and in the Senate to the Finance Committee.

In the correspondence, the coalition said for the past 75 years, people with high health care costs have been able to deduct medical expenses from their taxes.  And, for the approximately 4.4 million Americans who annually do this, the deduction provides important tax relief in helping to offset the costs of acute and chronic medical conditions for older Americans, children, pregnant women, and other adults, as well as the costs associated with long term care and assisted living.  You can read more on this Coalition effort and the medical expense deduction in this Provider article.