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Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE - Friday, January 11, 2019 by Can You Deduct Medicare Costs on Your Income Taxes? Dear Savvy Senior, Can I deduct my Medicare premiums, deductibles and copayments on my income taxes? I had a knee replacement surgery last year and spent quite a bit on medical care out-of-pocket and would like to know what all I can write off . Frugal Dave Dear Dave, The short answer is yes, you can deduct your Medicare costs but only if you meet certain conditions required by the IRS. Here’s how it works. As a taxpayer, you’re allowed to deduct many medical and dental expenses as well as your Medicare outof-pocket costs. But you can deduct only those expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of your 2018 adjusted gross income (AGI), and you’ll also need to itemize your deductions. Next year, (2019 tax season) the threshold will rise to 10 percent. Here’s an example. Let’s say that your AGI in 2018 was $50,000. Of that, 7.5 percent is $3,750. If your total allowable medical expenses last year were $8,000, you’d be able to deduct $4,250 ($8,000 minus $3,750). But, if your medical expenses were less than $3,750, you couldn’t claim any as a deduction. You also need to understand that when taking a medical expense deduction, you don’t actually get back every dollar you claim. While a tax credit reduces your taxes dollar-for-dollar, tax deductions simply reduce your taxable income, and your savings ultimately depend on the eff ective rate at which you’re taxed. So, for example, if you qualify for a $4,250 deduction and your eff ective tax rate is 22 percent, you would get $935 in savings from that particular deduction. To get this deduction you will need to fi le an itemized Schedule A (1040) tax return. You cannot claim medical expenses on Form 1040A or Form 1040EZ. Allowable Medical Expenses The list of allowable medical expenses, as defi ned by the IRS, is long and fairly fl exible. As a Medicare beneficiary, you can deduct your monthly premiums for Part B, Part C (Medicare Advantage plans), Part D drug plans, and any supplemental (Medigap) insurance you have. If you have to pay a premium for Part A, that’s allowed too. You can also deduct the cost of all your deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments under Medicare. In addition, you’re also allowed to deduct the cost of medical services not covered by Medicare, including dental treatment, vision care, prescription eyeglasses, hearing aids, and even longterm care. They also allow transportation to and from medical treatment to count as an eligible medical expense. And if necessary, you may even be able to deduct home alterations and equipment, like entrance ramps, grab bars, stair lifts etc., that can help you age in place. Some things, however, you cannot deduct like vitamins and supplements unless recommended by a physician to treat a specifi c medical condition. And Medicare late penalties added to Part B or Part D premiums. Medicare benefi ciaries who fail to sign up during their initial enrollment period are typically hit with a penalty that gets added to their monthly premiums, but these additional costs won’t count for tax purposes. For more information, including a detailed rundown of allowable and unallowable medical expenses, see IRS Publication 502 “Medical and Dental Expenses” at IRS.gov/ pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf or call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a copy. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen HOUSE RE-ELECTS DELEO AS SPEAKER House 120-31, re-elected Rep. Bob DeLeo (D-Winthrop) to a sixth term as speaker of the House. Rep. Bradley Jones (R-North Reading) received the votes of 31 of the 32 Republicans and was re-elected GOP minority leader. Rep. Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton) was absent. DeLeo received the votes of 119 of the 128 Democrats. One Democratic representative was absent and eight opted not to cast a vote for speaker and voted “present.” That list included returning Reps. Jonathan Hecht, Russell Holmes (D-Boston), John Rogers D-Norwood) and Angelo Scaccia (D-Boston); along with freshmen Reps. Tami Gouvieia (D-Acton), Nik Elugardo (D-Boston), Patrick Kearney (D-Scituate) and Maria Robinson (D-Framingham). Earlier in the day at a Democratic caucus, Robinson proposed an amendment that the speaker be elected by secret ballot rather than the current system of a recorded roll call vote. Ironically, the proposal was defeated on an unredorded voice vote. Holmes, Hecht, Elugardo and Kearney of spoke in favor of Robinson’s amendment. Supporters of the secret ballot said members should be able to cast a vote without worrying about the next speaker knowing that he or she voted against the him or her. They noted that they were all elected by their local voters who voted in secret. Robinson said she wanted to ensure that House lawmakers would be independent. “And it is diffi cult to have independence when you do not have a private ballot for one of the most important roles,” she said. Opponents said an open ballot makes the House more transparent. They said voters deserve to hear where their elected representative voted on every matter, including the election of the most powerful man in the House. To go to a secret ballot defi es a republic,” said Rep. Tackey Chan (D-Boston). Beacon Hill Roll Call made repeated attempts to get a comment from all eight members who voted “present.” Only Reps. Holmes, Elugardo, John Rogers, Gouvieia, Kearney and Hecht responded. We did not get a response from Reps.Scaccia and Robinson. “My constituents, many of whom are people of color, have made it clear that I should not continue to prop up an institution that does not listen to it or show it the respect that our voting records deserve,” said Rep. Holmes. “The House of Representatives is run by Democrats. However, the leadership and its goals does not have as its highest priority the desires of its most reliable voting constituency. We should be focused on eliminating the gaps between unemployment rates and income of people of color and whites, passing foundation budget and immigration reform, and pushing forward with eliminating violence in our community by solving unsolved murders. This is why I hear over and over again in my district that folks supported Gov. Baker at unexpected levels. He has been in the district many times and listens, values and respects our perspective as reforms are rolled out from his administration.” “I voted present because I believe we need a new direction in the House,” said Rep. Hecht. “We need to make the House truly democratic by opening up the lawmaking process and giving an equal voice to all members and the communities they represent.” “I would only vote for a candidate who would make a public statement about their vision for reforming House culture and House Rules, and in the absence of such a statement by any candidate I would have to vote ‘present,’” said Rep. Elugardo. “Any statement acknowledging the need to assess and address a culture of fear that is choking, for some reps, their ability to ask for roll calls and to call for reforms that increase transparency and robust debate would have suffi ced. But to my knowledge at the time of voting none was presented to the members.” I voted “present” today to be consistent with my long held belief in term limits for the offi ce of speaker of the House,’ said John Rogers. “Indeed, the gentleman from Winthrop [Speaker Bob DeLeo] and I years ago both ran for speaker advocating for term limits forsSpeaker. Although I support his right to change his mind, I remain resolute in the fundamental belief in this necessary limit on the powers of the offi ce of speaker.” Here’s how local representatives voted: Rep. Paul Donato Voted for DeLeo Rep. Steven Ultrino Voted for DeLeo SENATE RE-ELECTS SPILKA AS SENATE PRESIDENT Senate 34-6, re-elected Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) as Senate President. Spilka received the votes of 33 of the chamber’s 34 Democrats. Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy) was absent. Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) received the votes of all six Republicans and became the GOP Minority Leader. Here’s how local senators voted: Sen. Jason Lewis Voted for Spilka HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of December 31-January 4. the House met for a total of 19 hours and one minute while the Senate met for a total of 26 hours and 17 minutes. Mon. December 31 House 11:02 a.m. to 9:50 p.m. Senate 11:20 a.m. to 10:17 p.m. Tues. January 1 House 11:04 a.m. to 1:06 p.m. Senate 11:14 a.m. to 11:12 p.m. Wed. January 2 House 11:08 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to 2:07 p.m. Thurs. January 3 House 11:00 a.m. to 1:54 p.m. Senate 11:27 a.m. to 11:51 a.m. Fri. January 4 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma

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