No Medical Expense Deduction Allowed for Precautionary Expenses Incurred to Treat Future Disease

It is allowable to deduct the cost of preventing, treating, curing, mitigating, and diagnosing a disease that is existing or imminently probable for yourself or a family member. Even though science has blessed us with the opportunity to store umbilical cord blood of an infant that contains stem cells that may be used to treat or cure a disease the cost to collect or store umbilical cord blood is NOT a deductible medical expense on the IRS Form 1040 Schedule A unless you can demonstrate that the disease the blood is being collected and stored for is imminent (and the AGI threshold is achieved). Then the cost can be determined to be a deductible medical expense relating to the prevention of an imminent medical disease. Unfortunately medical expenses incurred now to prevent possible future diseases are nondeductible. Hopefully one day a better understanding of our genetic makeup will further help define the phrase 'imminent medical disease.'  Until then I would substantially document the entry on Schedule A if you chose to take the deduction specifically with a written statement from an MD using the terms 'imminent medical disease.' Quite honestly I've never had to defend a case like this and as such am not sure that this will even be sufficient if examined.

John R. Dundon, EA - 720-234-1177 - jddundon@comcast.net - http://johnrdundon.com - http://prep.1040.com/jd/ - Enrolled with the United States Department of Treasury to Practice before the IRS - Enrolled Agent # 85353. Under contract with the IRS as a Certified Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Acceptance Agent - I am a Federally Authorized Tax Practitioner (USC 31 Section 330 + IRC 7525a.3.A) regulated under US Treasury Cir. 230.