People diagnosed as obese will now be able to claim a tax deduction for the cost of weight-loss programs associated with treating the disease, the IRS ruled Tuesday.
The ruling was welcomed by obesity experts. But tax experts noted that those seeking to use the deduction still will have to meet the income standards for claiming a medical deduction -- meaning that not all taxpayers who are being treated for obesity will be able to qualify for the break.
Under the ruling, enrollment and monthly membership fees in weight-loss programs are now deductible as medical expenses when the programs are being used to treat obesity. In the past, the IRS allowed deductions for weight-loss treatments only when the patient's weight was causing some other ailment, such as hypertension or diabetes. Now the agency is recognizing obesity as a specific ailment
@Gato