LARSON: FAMILIES DEALING WITH LARGE MEDICAL EXPENSES SHOULDN’T BE FURTHER BURDENED
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Larson: Families Dealing with Large Medical Expenses Shouldn't be Further Burdened
Larson Amendment to add back Medical Expense Deduction Eliminated by
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Watch Rep. Larson's remarks on this amendment at: https://www.youtube.com/watch'v=-y3JrLufYk.
"The elimination of the Medical Expense Deduction would be cruel. The 8.8 million taxpayers that depend on this deduction are already suffering through hard times, why would we want to further burden them more and eliminate this deduction" My amendment adds this critical deduction back, and lowers the threshold to 7.5 percent of one's income. We should be working to help make these Americans' lives easier, not more difficult. Many of the Americans using this deduction are seniors in need of long-term care, or parents raising a special needs child with complex health conditions. In
Additionally the following groups wrote to Larson to oppose the elimination of the Medical Expense Deduction. Please see their letter below.
Dear Representative:
We, the undersigned organizations write today to express our opposition to elimination of the Medical Expense Deduction in H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
For the past 75 years, Americans with high health care costs have been able to deduct medical expenses from their taxes. For the approximately 8.8 million Americans who annually take this deduction, it provides important tax relief which helps 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. Medical expenses that qualify for this deduction can include amounts paid for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, equipment, qualified long-term care services costs as well as long term care insurance premiums. Low and middle-income families and individuals with significant disabilities face a constant stream of deductibles and high co-pays, and also pay out-of-pocket for various services and devices that enable the individual to live a productive life in the community.
In addition, the medical expense deduction- with a threshold based on a percentage of income- is truly middle class tax relief. According to 2014 estimated
*6.3 million (69%) of those claiming the deduction reported income of
*4.5 million (49%) of those claiming it reported income of
*55% of all households claiming the deduction (almost 5 million taxpayers) had at least one member of the household age 65 or older; and
*At least 18% of all returns claiming the deduction had at least one member of the household who was age 50-64.
Even those with Medicare can spend a large portion of their income on out-of-pocket expenses. The average Medicare beneficiary spends about
We thank you for the opportunity to share our views on this vital tax issue. We urge
Sincerely,
ACCSES
Allies for Independence
The Arc of
Argentum
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Family Voices
HealthyWomen
Justice in Aging
Leading Age
Lutheran Services of America
The
March of Dimes
National
National Disability Rights Network
UsAgainstAlzheimer's
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