What Medical Expenses are Tax Deductible?

As of this month, the IRS has decided to allow breast-pumps as a tax-deductible medical expense.

This excerpt was taken from the Boston Globe [full article here]:
"Women will be able to use money set aside in pretax spending accounts to buy the pumps and related equipment, which can cost several hundred dollars. For women without flexible spending accounts, the cost of pumps will be tax deductible if their total medical costs exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income."

The new tax ruling has created quite the stir, but it made me question what other medical expenses can be deducted.


 When we are talking about tax-deductible medical expenses, we are talking about the cost of these expenses that your health insurance has not picked up. Most people pay for these through Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) that employers set aside. The money in these accounts are not subject to payroll taxes, thus they are "pre-taxed" dollars. FSAs are currently capped at $5,000 per employee, however this will be changing to $2,500 in the future.

Deborah Kotz's op-ed pokes fun that Christian Science practitioner fees are FSA eligible, but not gym membership's or or preventative care products like toothpaste and dental floss. 

The full FSA-eligible expense list is here. 


Of course, for those of you who have bore children as of late, you can always get a free breast pump on Craigslist or Freecycle, which usually work fine if you disinfect them first with boiling water. Let's be honest, there aren't too many other household uses for a breast pump once you've finished nursing your infants.


Alas, although the global market for feminine hygiene products is estimated at $14.3 billion, pads and tampons aren't covered. *sigh. That would be a thrifty scholar dream come true.