Are there exercise programs for patients with diabetes covered by insurance or that are tax deductible?

Are there exercise programs for patients with diabetes covered by insurance or that are tax deductible?

Yes, although those that are tax deductible are not specifically aimed at diabetes and they are not government programs in themselves. Recently, in order to help to combat the growing amount of obesity and lack of exercise that now put Americans at risk of a number of diseases, including diabetes, the U.S. government has made provisions for a tax deduction on personal federal income tax for weight reduction programs when this is performed for specific medical indications. Losing a few pounds for your upcoming high school reunion (i.e., for your general appearance and overall health) is not included! Also, general gym or spa membership dues are not allowed under this credit. Although the program is specifically for weight reduction, exercise is an important component of weight maintenance and aids in weight reduction and is therefore included. The actual conditions of the program are contained in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publication #502 that can be accessed at http://www.hsainsider.com/pdf/treasurypublications/ TreasuryPub_23.pdf. It provides considerable detail on what is eligible for tax credit. This is a tax credit rather than a tax deduction, the important difference being that the entire cost of the program can be paid from your taxes. A very nice guide on how to actually prepare a submission to the IRS for the tax credit can be found at http://ezinearticles.com/?I.R.S.- Tax-Credit-for-Weight-Loss-and-Smoke-Cessation-Programs&id=345917. Of course, commonsense rules apply.

The cost of a program of twice-weekly treadmill workouts or spinning sessions as part of a class at your local spa or health club is likely to be found to be acceptable, while the cost of membership in a darts or pool league at your favorite local bar is not.Whether the exercise involved can reasonably be expected to lead to weight loss or improved physical fitness is the issue that can determine its eligibility for a tax deduction. However, the IRS will not ask you to prove that you actually lost weight or expect you to produce copies of your split times on the stopwatch at your local track! In addition to the information available from the IRS link noted above, you can also get information from your qualified tax preparer.

Some health insurance programs will, with supporting documentation from your doctor, cover the costs of certain approved exercise or fitness interventions for certain categories of members. Details of these can be obtained from the administrator of your company health plan or from the healthcare provider staff themselves. There is also increasing awareness among employers that a healthy, physically active staff is a more productive staff who require fewer days off work for health-related reasons. Such enlightened employers sometimes provide incentives for their staff to join local healthcare facilities and occasionally provide such facilities themselves. They may sponsor some employees to participate in competitive athletic events or activities, sometimes to a high level of accomplishment. Programs such as this will be unique to each company and you will need to make inquiries about them from your human resources department.

Advice:
There is also increasing awareness among employers that a healthy, physically active staff is a more productive staff who require fewer days off work for healthrelated reasons.