Tax Breaks For Healthy Living

We need to change the debate on healthcare in Connecticut. We need to begin to focus on reducing the escalating cost of healthcare—which will benefit the middle class who is squeezed by increasing premiums and those who are uninsured because healthcare insurance is so expensive. The best way to reduce cost is also the best way to save lives—detecting disease before it happens. We need to get more focus on prevention and early detection for the most deadly and costly diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

The Senate Republicans’ “Tax Breaks For Healthy Living” initiative a great start to transforming our approach to healthcare. This proposed legislation would allow individuals and families who meet preventative care guidelines established by the state Department of Public Health to deduct out of pocket medical expenses – including premiums, co-pays and deductibles – from their state income tax.

Qualifying for the tax break would be easy—going to the doctor for your physical, and getting all the preventative tests suitable for your age and gender (e.g., mammograms, prostate exams). Doctors would qualify families by ensuring that they had all the preventative care screenings recommended– and then sign a one-page certification form to be included when they file their state income taxes.

This proposal will mean hundreds of dollars of tax breaks for the average family in Connecticut. But more importantly, it will save lives and lower healthcare costs for everyone. Catching cancer and heart disease earlier is sure to improve survival rates (which should be the focus of any healthcare proposal). But catching these diseases early reduces treatment cost by 80-90%, which would save hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient. One study states that if we can catch just 25% of disease cases earlier, we can reduce healthcare costs by $2 billion in Connecticut.

If we could pass $2 billion in lower healthcare insurance costs to consumers, that is a win for every Connecticut family. For those of us with insurance, we would stop having healthcare take an increasing portion of our families’ budgets. For those of us without insurance, we would be able to better afford basic insurance such as Governor Rell’s Charter Oak Plan.

This tax deduction would be the first of its kind in the United States. Connecticut has the opportunity to take the lead in improving the health of our families and reducing cost in healthcare, and I hope this becomes part of the upcoming budget.