Obesity is deductible??????

[historian]

Oh please. Unless someone has hormonal or thyroid problems (or other medically related problems over which they have no control) there is no excuse for obesity. What next...viagra is deductible?
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040301/ap_on_sc/fit_taxes_weight_loss_3
IRS Allows Weight-Loss Tax Deduction
2 hours, 55 minutes ago Add Science - AP to My Yahoo!


By CONNIE FARROW, Associated Press Writer

Obese Americans who take drastic, expensive action to lose weight under a doctor's orders will at least be able to lighten their tax load.
The Internal Revenue Service (news - web sites) allows taxpayers who are forced to spend thousands of dollars because of obesity to deduct expenses for stomach-stapling surgery, approved weight-loss drugs and nutritional counseling.
"At least one arm of the government recognizes the need to reward people for getting in shape," said Linda Webb Carilli, a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers International Inc.
To claim the deduction, a person must itemize. Deductions are allowed for uncompensated expenses for the treatment of an individual, spouse and dependents if the cost is more than 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, IRS spokeswoman Kris Moore said.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[boobooday]

1. A suggestion

That the deduction be reduced dollar for dollar based on every trip to McDonalds.

Otherwise they're just dooming us to a cycle of binge and purge, in order to reap the tax advantage of being fat.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[historian]

2. good idea

for every deduction a counter receipt from mcdonalds would be mandatory!

[Skittles]

9. stop being ugly

I'm disgusted how fat people are ridiculed. Where is the compassion? Have you ever talked to a severely overweight person to find out exactly what they go through? If they eat because of a thyroid problem or because of emotional pain the result is still the same. Have some freaking grace already.

[mzmolly]

3. This is a good thing. Obesity is deadly if left untreated...

:shrug:

[Ms. Clio]

4. doctors pushing bariatric surgery, that's why

"American Society of Bariatric Surgery estimated 103,200 people had operations to lose weight last year."

[chimpy the poopthrower]

5. *Groan*

Another "fat"-bashing thread in the making...

Can't we please discuss this on its merits without snide comments about "trips to McDonalds"?

[AZCat]

7. Isn't McDonald's part of the issue at hand?

I thought that the American diet was part of the whole issue of overweight Americans. How can we discuss health-related issues without bringing up our dependence on fast food?

IMHO- obesity is a NATIONAL issue- the costs are borne by our society as a whole and need to be addressed by society as a whole.

[Bertha Venation]

8. "can't we please discuss this on its merits without snide comments..."

"about trips to McDonalds" -- and without ignorant comments about "unless you have a medical reason there's no excuse"? Historian, I daresay you don't know much about eating disorders.

[Columbia]

6. It's important to combat obesity

But I'm not sure a tax deduction is the best way to go about it...

[unblock]

10. obeisity is NOT a choice

for the VAST majority of people, a few pounds here and there might be attributable to a lack of dietary discipline or not caring enough about your figure.

but once we're talking about 50+ pounds overweight, and especially then 100+, 150+ pounds overweight for the kinds of people who typically take such drastic action as gastric bypass surgery, i have to say that there HAS to be something else going on.

such people suffer from something far more difficult to control than mere appetite. it's partially genetic, partially environment, but however they got there, it just isn't fair to toss it back at them that they might go to mcdonald's too much.

i say this as someone who, at age 40, has never been overweight ever. i was actually fairly underweight until my early 30's. try as i might, i couldn't gain a pound. i am blessed with a built-in mechanism that makes food nauseating as soon as i've had enough. while i do occassionally enjoy certain very nice meals, i view eating mostly as a chore.

virtually all overwight people i have known do not have an such built-in mechanisms, or they've been somehow raised to ignore it. they all wish they had it (and usually resent me for having it). but they LOVE food, and also get agitated/irritable/weak without it.

i do not have such powerful forces compelling me to eat beyond what i need. they do.

so i never fault anyone for being overweight. truth is, i'm lazy, undisciplined, and don't pay enough attention to proper diet. but because of some lucky 'stop' mechanism i have, i just never eat too much. so how could i really claim to be superior, anyway?

i suspect that the vast majority of 'proper'-weighted people have similar mechanisms, or at least, simply do not suffer from anything like the powerful urges that the obese have. for them, the struggle is 5-10 pounds, which may indeed be just a matter of a little discipline. but the obese face something the rest of us can't fully fathom.


incidently, if i ever started to balloon for some reason, i'd be in big trouble as far as dieting goes. if i don't eat enough, i get severe migraines. so losing weight, for me, would probably be a torturous experience.

[dflprincess]

11. I was fairly lucky in the gene pool when it come to weight

Now that I'm middle aged I have to watch it a little more closely but I'm fortunate that it's not been a big problem. I'm saying that just so those who are critical don't think I have my own axe to grind.

I don't see why someone who is overweight shouldn't be able to deduct their weight loss expenses. This is a health issue and more power to the people who make the committment to change. I have friends with weight problems and I've seen what they go through. It's not easy.

[justgamma]

12. Pet peeve

The insurance companies will pay for viagra and not for birth control. Run by men, methinks.

[dflprincess]

13. A good point

My insurance does pay for birth control. My peeve with them is that they won't pay for Zyban or any other smoking cessation product. When I asked them about Zyban and was told no, I asked if they would pay for bypass surgery or the cancer treatment and was told yes, but the guy didn't get my point.