Hard Left Agenda: Breastfeeding

[casebro]

Only slightly tangential question- If women who stop breast feeding get plugged ducts and mastitis, what happens when they wean the baby?

I always though that weaning the baby causes the breast to overfill, which stops production.

 

[Professor Yaffle]

With my first, his weaning was so gradual that there was no issue - he had been down to 1 feed a day for a while, and I didn't get engorged if I missed a day or two. And even months after weaning, I still could have started up feeding again, as I could still produce some milk. With my second, he weaned suddenly (from 3 feeds a day to 0 overnight). I suffered from a lot of engorgement/pain, but with gradually reducing the amount/frequency of expression (hand expression as we were on holiday and I didn't have my pump with me), I managed not to have any problems with blocked ducts or mastitis. It wasn't fun though.

 

[Juniversal]

The argument was it's a medical device because it prevents disease.


And for many a hat is a device that has no use beyond keeping the sun off of one's face, sun which can cause a serious, even fatal, medical condition.

It's a piece of clothing. Not medical equipment (not to say clothing can't have medical uses like surgical masks). But a hat generally is used to keep the head warm or keep sun out of someones eyes. Not prevent skin cancer. Hence hats aren't marketed as "skin cancer preventer's".

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Also, hats are really cheap.

 

[Juniversal]

Also, hats are really cheap.

That too. Well most at least (the more expensive ones being brand names).

 

[WildCat]

It's a piece of clothing. Not medical equipment (not to say clothing can't have medical uses like surgical masks). But a hat generally is used to keep the head warm or keep sun out of someones eyes. Not prevent skin cancer. Hence hats aren't marketed as "skin cancer preventer's".

I have red hair, and the sun sensitivity that goes with it. I hate wearing a hat, but I do it whenever I go out in the daytime in summer. It is not just apiece of clothing to me, it is a necessity.

 

[WildCat]

Also, hats are really cheap.

Breast pumps are not expensive. Frankly, if you can't afford one you probably can't afford diapers either.

How long before diapers are a medical device? After all, they remove toxic substances from a baby's skin and have no other use.

 

[leftysergeant]

Is a diagnosis of mastitis a requirement to take the tax deduction?

Preventive measures should be tax deductible.

 

[leftysergeant]

Why draw a line at all? We don't tax food, in general. Let's leave the entire chain from heart transplants to doctor visits to nutrition and breast pumps to a loaf of bread at the supermarket all be tax-free.

Oy! Stopped clock syndrome strikes again.

 

[leftysergeant]

I really dislike the expansion of the term "medical device" when medical costs are skyrocketing out of control. And for the record, I really do dislike the creature known as Michele Bachmann (R-MN). Raving freakazoid nutcase she is.

A tax deduction of $80 is a big thing for a typical young family these days, and still smaller thann what some rich people get to deduct for mortgage payments on their lavish mansions. Givng a working class family a small tax break does a lot more to stimulate the local ecconomy than does throwing a couple grand at the Walton larvae. As for the rising medical costs, a lot of that is attributable to the detrimental effects of NOT breast-feeding children. This makes your argument based on health care costs invalid. It has long been an accepted position, even among Republicans that, if you want more of something, you subsidize it, and if you want less of it, you tax it.

In the long run, breast-feeding saves us all money, so I am perfectly cool with subsidizing it.

For most nursing women, breast pumps are a convenience rather than a necessity.

If the nursing mother is employed in a situation in which she cannot have the child nearby, it becomes a neccessity.

And before anyone says it, yeah I think that in most instances Viagra and Cialis is prescribed out of convenience rather than necessity also.

Addresses quality of life.

 

[Juniversal]

I have red hair, and the sun sensitivity that goes with it. I hate wearing a hat, but I do it whenever I go out in the daytime in summer. It is not just apiece of clothing to me, it is a necessity.

I'll repeat, the purpose of a hat isn't to prevent skin cancer. It isn't marketed or intended to be used as a medical device (unlike breast pumps). I'd love to see you file a medical malpractice suit against a hat company because the hat failed to prevent skin cancer.

 

[BobTheDonkey]

Wildcat, I'm certain that if you could get your primary care physician to write you a prescription/note for shoes and a hat that you could get a medical tax deduction on those items.

Do let us know how the talk with your PCP works out for you.

 

[Newtons Bit]

I'll repeat, the purpose of a hat isn't to prevent skin cancer. It isn't marketed or intended to be used as a medical device (unlike breast pumps). I'd love to see you file a medical malpractice suit against a hat company because the hat failed to prevent skin cancer.

Some hats, like with some clothing, comes with an SPF value. One even claims to be recommended by the skin cancer association.


Hmm... It appears that not only do some people value clothing for their skin cancer protections, but some companies also market it as such.

Breast pumps might be primarily used for extracting milk, but I imagine there's some other kinky, none medical uses of them as well.

 

[BobTheDonkey]

Some hats, like with some clothing, comes with an SPF value. One even claims to be recommended by the skin cancer association.


Hmm... It appears that not only do some people value clothing for their skin cancer protections, but some companies also market it as such.

Breast pumps might be primarily used for extracting milk, but I imagine there's some other kinky, none medical uses of them as well.

I'm certain that if you could get your primary care physician to write you a prescription/note for shoes and a hat that you could get a medical tax deduction on those items.

Do let us know how the talk with your PCP works out for you.


(and hypodermic needles are used for more than just injecting insulin, should those therefore not be labeled as medical devices?)

 

[Juniversal]

Some hats, like with some clothing, comes with an SPF value. One even claims to be recommended by the skin cancer association.


Hmm... It appears that not only do some people value clothing for their skin cancer protections, but some companies also market it as such.

Breast pumps might be primarily used for extracting milk, but I imagine there's some other kinky, none medical uses of them as well.

Not surprising. Clothing certified to help protect against skin cancer is a different story. Same with orthopedic shoes and boots that cover casts.

 

[Newtons Bit]

Not surprising. Clothing certified to help protect against skin cancer is a different story. Same with orthopedic shoes and boots that cover casts.

Right, so why is it that we need something new for breast pumps? They're obviously medical devices if a doctor tells a patient to use one.

 

[Darth Rotor]

Since one already gets a deduction for all kids anyway, why this targeted tax deduction?

I had to laugh at the term "breast feeding equipment" but when we had our two, there was pumping going on for a few months for each, to ensure they got mothers milk for as long as could be managed. That ended up being about when the teeth arrived ... I tip my cap to the Missus for the effort she put forth, her self sacrifice, on behalf of the kids. It also gave me plenty of ready loaded little packages of the good stuff when it was my turn to feed and let the Missus rest.

 

[leftysergeant]

Since one already gets a deduction for all kids anyway, why this targeted tax deduction?

Supposedly, targetted tax cuts give a little encouragement to good behavior. I wish that they all had the desired effect. This one does. It encourages people to do something that benefits us all, long term.

 

[Juniversal]

Right, so why is it that we need something new for breast pumps? They're obviously medical devices if a doctor tells a patient to use one.

Apparently to make it more feasible for young, poor mothers to breast feed.

 

[Newtons Bit]

Apparently to make it more feasible for young, poor mothers to breast feed.

Who won't be paying federal income tax anyways. How would a tax deduction help them?