Hard Left Agenda: Breastfeeding

[TubbaBlubba]

Shoes prevent me from getting blisters on my feet, a medical condition. Shall I be able to deduct what I spent on shoes as a medical expense?

A hat prevents sunburn and skin cancer, do I get to deduct hat expenses as a medical expense?

If I sleep outdoors I can freeze to death, can I deduct apartment rental as a medical expense?

Cool strawman, bro. Having milk-filled breasts is a specific condition. Draining your breasts isn't a necessitiy that's part of your everyday life, it's a temporary condition.

 

[WildCat]

I didn't realize that the definition of a medical device hinged on whether you, personally, feel it serves a sufficiently necessary purpose. You can argue against this particular device deserving a tax break, but arguing that it isn't a medical device at all is, well, nuts.

See my examples above for other "medical devices".

Is the soap designed by licensed medical professionals, and inspected and licensed for use and sale by the FDA, and prescribed by doctors?

If the soap were a prescription formula then it might qualify as medicine, but not as a device.

Breast pumps don't require a prescription.

I can't see why you're quibbling over the meaning of the words "medical device" here. If you wish to object to the tax deduction, do so. Can you see what madness politics have become if the meanings of basic words must be challenged and politicized?

Apparently anything and everything can be classified as a "medical device", and we wonder why the US has the highest health care costs in the world.

 

[whatthebutlersaw]

See my examples above for other "medical devices".


Breast pumps don't require a prescription.


Apparently anything and everything can be classified as a "medical device", and we wonder why the US has the highest health care costs in the world.

No.

 

[TubbaBlubba]

Apparently anything and everything can be classified as a "medical device", and we wonder why the US has the highest health care costs in the world.

Now, I know you're just trying to score points, but I have serious doubts that breast pumps are the cause here.

 

[WildCat]

Cool strawman, bro.

It's not a straw man. A hat can prevent diseases such as skin cancer and sunburn. Why is it not a medical device?

Having milk-filled breasts is a specific condition. Draining your breasts isn't a necessitiy that's part of your everyday life, it's a temporary condition.

It's also completely normal, in fact the abnormal medical condition would be if the breasts didn't contain milk in nursing mothers.

 

[TubbaBlubba]

It's not a straw man. A hat can prevent diseases such as skin cancer and sunburn. Why is it not a medical device?


It's also completely normal, in fact the abnormal medical condition would be if the breasts didn't contain milk in nursing mothers.

It's normal, yes, but it's a condition, and a temporary one. Acne in teens is normal. Osteoarthritis is normal. That doesn't mean they're not conditions.

It's not comparable with things like eating, because those are applicable to everyone at every point, while milky jugs is only applicable to a limited subset at all times.

 

[Professor Yaffle]

It's not a straw man. A hat can prevent diseases such as skin cancer and sunburn. Why is it not a medical device?


It's also completely normal, in fact the abnormal medical condition would be if the breasts didn't contain milk in nursing mothers.

Modern life prevents most women from using the previous solution to OVERFILLED breasts. Overfilled breasts for more than a short period of time is certainly not normal... it is normal to express or feed your baby when your breasts are overfull. So they need a device to avert this abnormal condition and prevent illness.

 

[WildCat]

Modern life prevents most women from using the previous solution to OVERFILLED breasts. Overfilled breasts for more than a short period of time is certainly not normal... it is normal to express or feed your baby when your breasts are overfull. So they need a device to avert this abnormal condition and prevent illness.

You make the best case yet, but why then wouldn't a hat qualify as a medical device?

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Is being hatless an abnormal condition? Please elaborate?

 

[Newtons Bit]

Is being hatless an abnormal condition? Please elaborate?

If you're bald it is.

 

[Ausmerican]

You make the best case yet, but why then wouldn't a hat qualify as a medical device?

Things like hats would be dependant on where you live and what gets covered. When I lived in Australia I had terrible migraines. The doctor decided that they were caused by glare which was unavoidable (I lived at the beach). So sunglasses were considered a medical device and covered, mostly. I was getting Bolle" sunglasses for $15-$20 copay. Of course, that was under one of those horrible, socialist medical systems.

 

[TragicMonkey]

You make the best case yet, but why then wouldn't a hat qualify as a medical device?

I dare you to attempt deducting a hat on your taxes. The IRS is not a messageboard full of obstinant contrarians. They will disabuse you of any illusions you might have that quibbling over terms on the internet amounts to anything.

Although I cannot imagine you seriously consider soap or a hat to be a medical device. You are simply arguing to be argumentative, because you apparently really dislike the notion of a tax deduction for breast pumps, or else you really dislike the political figures suggesting it.

 

[Beerina]

So where do we draw the line between nutrition and medicine?

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.

 

[Juniversal]

CNN Story:



********* Hard Left!!



Democrat Party, keep your paws off our epic byewbage!!! U.S. out of my funbags!!





But seriously, this is a tax deduction.

Why are Republicans pushing this Tax On Motherhood? What's next? Apple pie and Baseball taxes??

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201006

Already made a thread about this...^ But the theme of my thread was the continued idiocy of Michele Bachmann.

Interesting that these female politician, both of whom are giving strong indications of running for president, are focusing not on the president, but on the first lady. And these are not far out things the first lady is saying either. Breastfeeding is healthy. Obesity is not healthy. Elementary schools shouldn't have soda machines. She's on pretty solid ground there I would say.

Cat fight!!

 

[WildCat]

Is being hatless an abnormal condition? Please elaborate?

Are you claiming breast feeding is abnormal?

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Are you claiming breast feeding is abnormal?

No, as I explained previously, having engorged breasts for prolonged periods is abnormal. I just want you to elaborate on why you feel the situation with hats is comparable. I could make a stab at what your argument might be, but I prefer to discuss actual opinions rather than my imagination of what your opinion might be. I'm sure you would be quick enough to accuse me of a strawman argument if I didn't get it right.

 

[WildCat]

I dare you to attempt deducting a hat on your taxes. The IRS is not a messageboard full of obstinant contrarians. They will disabuse you of any illusions you might have that quibbling over terms on the internet amounts to anything.

Did I claim somewhere I though the IRS would consider a hat a medical device? I'm asking why it isn't considered a medical device.

Although I cannot imagine you seriously consider soap or a hat to be a medical device. You are simply arguing to be argumentative, because you apparently really dislike the notion of a tax deduction for breast pumps, or else you really dislike the political figures suggesting it.

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.

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

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

 

[Juniversal]

Shoes prevent me from getting blisters on my feet, a medical condition. Shall I be able to deduct what I spent on shoes as a medical expense?

A hat prevents sunburn and skin cancer, do I get to deduct hat expenses as a medical expense?

If I sleep outdoors I can freeze to death, can I deduct apartment rental as a medical expense?

Last time I checked none of these were considered medical devices by any stretch of the imagination. Shoes and hats are clothing. A house or apartment is shelter. Not a "medical device". Just because you can arbitrarily find a medical implication or consequence for everything doesn't make them medical devices.

On the other hand a breast pump is actually a 'device' that has no use beyond pumping breast milk and can have direct medical consequences.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_pump:

A breast pump may be used to relieve engorgement, a painful condition whereby the breasts are overfull, possibly preventing a proper latch by the infant. If an infant does not latch properly for direct breastfeeding, and the mother still desires the benefits of breast milk, she may choose to pump exclusively.

If the mother needs to take medication that affects the breast milk and may be harmful to the infant, the mother may "pump and dump" the breast milk to keep up her milk supply during the time period that she is on the medication and may resume nursing after the course of medication is completed. Finally, pumping may be desirable to continue lactation and its associated hormones to aid in recovery from pregnancy even if the pumped milk is not used.

 

[rwguinn]

Let's see-
Breast pumps run from $80 up to about $250. (quick googlization)
Add them in to other expenses, and see if you reach the 7% AGI floor on deductions.
If so, you get like 20% of the amount above the 7% back.
Not a deal breaker. Probably, for most US taxpayers, not even a deduction.
Might apply to the medical savings account, though.

 

[WildCat]

Last time I checked none of these were considered medical devices by any stretch of the imagination. Shoes and hats are clothing. A house or apartment is shelter. Not a "medical device". Just because you can arbitrarily find a medical implication or consequence for everything doesn't make them medical devices.

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

On the other hand a breast pump is actually a 'device' that has no use beyond pumping breast milk and can have direct medical consequences.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_pump:

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.