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Guest
"I’ve given birth to five babies, and I’ve breast-fed every single one of these babies," Michele Bachmann said on The Laura Ingraham Show. "To think that government has to go out and buy my breast pump for my babies? You want to talk about the nanny state? I think you just got a new definition of the nanny state."
Bachmann’s comments were prompted by a decision from the Internal Revenue Service to change the way it classifies breast pumps and related supplies. Previously, the IRS said breast pumps were not medical expenses because they were related to nutrition. And nutrition -- i.e., food -- is not a medical expense.
On Feb. 10, the IRS announced it had reconsidered, and that it had decided breast pumps are in fact used for medical care. Like obstetric care, breast pumps "are for the purpose of affecting a structure or function of the body of the lactating woman," the IRS said in its ruling.
So does this mean free breast pumps for mom?
Hardly.
Formally, it means that breast pumps can be treated like other medical expenses that are tax deductible.
Keep in mind, the hurdle for directly deducting medical expenses is quite high: The out-of-pocket expenses have to exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted income before you can begin deducting them.
More commonly, it means people can now buy breast pumps using money from flexible health spending accounts.
Many employers offer these accounts, which allow workers to save part of their paychecks tax-fee to a personal account that can be used only for health care costs. Because the money isn’t taxed, people are able to set aside more for health expenses than they would otherwise.
The accounts have restrictions, though. There’s a limit to how much can go to the accounts, currently $2,500.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...e-bachmann-says-government-will-buy-you-brea/
On Feb. 10, the IRS announced it had reconsidered, and that it had decided breast pumps are in fact used for medical care. Like obstetric care, breast pumps "are for the purpose of affecting a structure or function of the body of the lactating woman," the IRS said in its ruling.
So does this mean free breast pumps for mom?
Hardly.
Formally, it means that breast pumps can be treated like other medical expenses that are tax deductible.
Keep in mind, the hurdle for directly deducting medical expenses is quite high: The out-of-pocket expenses have to exceed 7.5 percent of your adjusted income before you can begin deducting them.
More commonly, it means people can now buy breast pumps using money from flexible health spending accounts.
Many employers offer these accounts, which allow workers to save part of their paychecks tax-fee to a personal account that can be used only for health care costs. Because the money isn’t taxed, people are able to set aside more for health expenses than they would otherwise.
The accounts have restrictions, though. There’s a limit to how much can go to the accounts, currently $2,500.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...e-bachmann-says-government-will-buy-you-brea/