Taxpayer asks:
I have a weird question. My insurance doesn’t cover the cost of my birth control pills. Can I deduct them on my taxes? What about other forms of birth control, like condoms?
Thanks,
Taxgirl says:
Wow, I didn’t realize that there were any insurance companies left that didn’t offer coverage for birth control pills. But that said, yes, you can absolutely deduct the cost of birth control pills as a medical expense.
Keep in mind that to actually take advantage of the deduction, you need to itemize your deductions – if you file with the standard deduction, the deduction isn’t available. You report medical expenses on Schedule A of your form 1040. Unfortunately, there are some limits: medical expenses are only deductible to the extent that they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). This means if your AGI is $30,000, you’d have to rack up $2,250 in medical expenses before you can claim any of the expenses. For a list of what else might qualify, check out this prior post on medical expenses.
Almost anything that requires the services of a physician would qualify – IUD, Norplant, etc. Additionally, the costs of sterilization for women and vasectomies for men are deductible.
What you won’t see on that list are other non-prescription forms of birth control, like condoms. As a general rule, non-prescription drugs and medicines, as well as “personal use items”, are not deductible.
Like any good lawyer, I need to add a disclaimer: Unfortunately, it is impossible to give comprehensive tax advice over the internet, no matter how well researched or written. Before relying on any information given on this site, contact a tax professional to discuss your particular situation.
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Most drug stores will mark what non-prescriptions are eligible for a tax deduction or a health savings account. I know CVS an Walgreens puts a letter on your receipt after what’s eligible — from what I recall, things like Benedryl and Claratin are marked.
It’s so upsetting that an insurance company won’t cover birth control. It’s a complete disregard of women. I cannot wait for the day that we all have proper health care. A decision to not cover birth control is not just a “business” decision. It is one made out of an idea that women are just not important people (not to mention that if they decide to have sex they deserve to get pregnant and suffer).
Jen,
That’s true re the HSA but many more things are eligible for HSA than for tax reimbursement. Realistically, the only non-prescription medicine that you can claim as deductible without documentation from your physician is insulin.
I think it’s smart for drugstores to do that, though. It makes folks who track their spending more likely to use that store.
And a poor business decision at that. It seems to me birth control is a heck of a lot cheaper to the insurance provider than giving birth in a hospital.
An insurance company not covering birth control pills is really stupid. The cost of the delivery or one unwanted baby is going to wipe out the savings of a lifetime of not paying for the pills.
Michael,
You may think not covering is stupid but some insurance companies know more about the negative long-term effects of hormonal contraceptives that are ignored by most. Most insurance companies would not cover other synthetic hormones meant for boys to build muscle. They may be more progressive than you think.
Regarding OC (Oral Contraceptive) benefit coverage-Our Rx plan offers the employer the option of covering OC or not–some employers who do not wish to cover OC for whatever reason (age of employees, lower cost, playing God, etc) can make that choice when putting together group health insurance plan. I think there is also the same choice option for the viagra type drugs and diabetes drugs as well.
I’m not saying it’s the right thing-just bringing it to your attention.