B   Breast Pumps Now Deductible Medical Supplies, Says IRS 

     In good news for nursing mothers, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on February 10, 2011, that breast pumps and lactation supplies may be deductible medical expenses, or can be reimbursed under flexible-spending accounts. This includes the state's Health Care Spending Account (HCSA).

The ruling is effective immediately, and expenses incurred on or after January 1, 2011 can be submitted for reimbursement.

       Until now, nursing mothers couldn’t use flexible-spending accounts to pay for breast pumps and other nursing supplies because the IRS said that breastfeeding didn’t have enough health benefits to qualify as medical or preventive care.    

       The new ruling means that families can use pretax funds from their flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts for pumps and other supplies. Medical expenses, meanwhile, are not deductible until they exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income. Breast pumps typically cost more than $200 and, along with supplies, can run as high as $1,000 in the first year of a baby’s life.

       The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) hailed the IRS decision with the following statement:

      “For years, the AAP has been urging the IRS to recognize that breast milk is not just the best and most natural food for infants; it confers well-documented health benefits on both baby and mother that cannot be obtained any other way. The IRS has finally acknowledged this medical fact, and we applaud them for changing their regulations accordingly..."