Coalition Fights to Keep Medical Expense Deductions in Place

An AARP-led coalition that includes the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) delivered a letter on Sept. 6 to leading U.S. Senators asking them to continue their fight to maintain the medical expense deduction, which was temporarily extended through 2018 in last year’s tax cut law.  The coalition sent their message to Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio), thanking the trio for their leadership in preserving the medical expense deduction last year and urging their continued assistance in keeping it in place after this year.  Pointing to the long history of the deduction, the letter said for the past 75 years Americans with high health care costs have been able to deduct medical expenses from their taxes.  AHCA/NCAL has said that many of these individuals are in long term care, thus making it a significant issue for our members.  Some of the other members of the coalition include the Alzheimer’s Association, American Heart Association, American Psychological Association, March of Dimes, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.