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Is Obesity a Disease?
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Treatment
cost for obesity can now be claimed as a medical deduction!
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On April 2,
2002, the IRS announced a new policy (IRS Ruling 202-19) that clearly states,
"Obesity is medically accepted to be a disease in its own right." For
taxpayers, this means that treatment specifically for obesity can now be claimed
as a medical deduction. In addition, the IRS report says, "Uncompensated
amounts paid by individuals for participation in a weight-loss program as
treatment for a specific disease or diseases including obesity diagnosed by a
physician are expenses for medical care that are deductible." First you
check with this calculator
whether you are over weight or obese
Printed in the Federal Register (65 Fed. Reg.
31039) the Social Security Administration (SSA) states that obesity "is a
complex, chronic disease characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat." Obesity is generally the result of a combination of factors (e.g.
genetic, environmental and behavioral), and the judgment of a physician who has
examined the claimant is generally relied on to establish obesity. Furthermore,
the SSA acknowledges the condition of obesity to be severe enough for disability
when it significantly limits an individual's physical or mental abilities to do
basic work activities, or in the case of children, when it causes more than a
minimal functional limitation.
Many people in the community either suffer from or
know someone who suffers from obesity. As it affects so many, the American
Obesity Association reports that the general opinion of the public is that
insurance companies should consider obesity a disease and treat it accordingly.
"It is so much cheaper to cover obesity
treatments than it is to treat the myriad of ailments it can cause," says
Mary E. Tyler, a freelance writer from Newport News, Va. "Penny wise, pound
foolish."
Complete
article
available at
http://www.recipestoday.com
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