Can i deduct the healthcare expenses my school district charges me for health care?

[GeoffreyG · Accepted solution]

Most employer-sponsored health insurance plans feature premiums that are paid with pre-tax dollars, as an employment benefit.  This means that the premiums are deducted from your wages before regular income taxes are applied.  If a taxpayer were to deduct those premiums again as a medical expense, that would effectively be "double-dipping," or taking a tax benefit for the same item twice.  You can only deduct medical premiums from employer plans if your employer included them in your Box 1 (Gross Wages) on your W-2.

If instead you are contract employee with the school system, taking advantage of a COBRA option as a former employee, and thus you pay for medical insurance premiums out-of-pocket, or if you are a student in the district "buying into" the district's health plan, then you could include your health care premium expenses as medical expense deductions . . . if they were indeed not an employment benefit, and were not paid with pre-tax dollars.

Thank you for asking this important question, and good luck to you.

Regards