Do I put in costs for surgery and therapy even though it was paid by insurance? I had Medicare. Does it still count as medical expenses?

[aminionforhire]

I had knee surgery putting me out of work for three months and incurring medical fees up to $20,000 including e.r/surgery/anesthesia/hospital stay/and therapy. I had Medicare and all but a slight radiology bill seems to have been covered. I am unsure if I enter any of this in. Since I myself did not pay it do I not enter it?

[xmasbaby0]

No, you do not enter any medical expenses that were paid for by insurance. The medical expense deduction has to meet a rather large threshold before it can affect your return. The amount of medical expenses that will count toward itemization for someone under 65 is the amount that is OVER 10% of your adjusted gross income; for someone 65 or older it would be the amount over 7.5% of your AGI.  

You should only enter the amount that you paid in 2016—do not include any amounts that were covered by insurance or that are still outstanding.  Of course, your medical expenses plus your other itemized deductions still have to exceed your standard deduction before you will see a difference in your tax due or refund.

To enter your medical expenses go to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Medical>Medical Expenses

[xmasbaby0]

No, you do not enter any medical expenses that were paid for by insurance. The medical expense deduction has to meet a rather large threshold before it can affect your return. The amount of medical expenses that will count toward itemization for someone under 65 is the amount that is OVER 10% of your adjusted gross income; for someone 65 or older it would be the amount over 7.5% of your AGI.  

You should only enter the amount that you paid in 2016—do not include any amounts that were covered by insurance or that are still outstanding.  Of course, your medical expenses plus your other itemized deductions still have to exceed your standard deduction before you will see a difference in your tax due or refund.

To enter your medical expenses go to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Medical>Medical Expenses

[jerry2000]

NO. You can claim as medical expenses only the amount that you actually paid out of your pocket. What was billed does not matter, what insurance paid does not matter. The only thing that matters is what you actually paid out of your pocket.