John Kerry And The Health Care That Wasn't There

We continue to be mystified by the gaps in Kerry's health care coverage. Why did he have $9,000 in unreimbursed medical and dental expenses, as reported on his tax return?

Kerry's Dec 2003 speech on health care:

You know, this issue has become very personal to me. In the last two years, I've seen the health care system up close, its ups and its downs, inside and out. I've lost both my parents and just one year ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I stand before you 100% cured now, but I was lucky. As a U.S. Senator, I could get the best health care in the world. Most people aren't so lucky, and we need to change that. That's why my plan gives every American access to the same kind of health care that members of Congress give themselves.

Emphasis added. Might a reasonable listener be forgiven for concluding that Kerry's medical treatment was covered by his Federal health care plan? He did not, for example, say "as a US Senator and a privately wealthy man I was able to afford out-of-network care".

So, does his plan have huge gaps in its catastrophic coverage? Or did he lie during this speech? Or were the expenses for something else entirely?

The NY Times does not seem to want to know; I see no new stories on this since they edited and recycled the Kerry press release yesterday.

Comments

[Mitch H.]

Maybe I'm late to this party, but why couldn't it just be the Botox injections? I would *hope* that cosmetic Botox wouldn't be covered under a health plan paid for by my tax dollars. Such a thing would sort-of be listable as unrebursable medical expenses, I suppose.

Overall, it strikes me as only mildly embarrassing if he wrote off his botox injections on his taxes...

[Jim Glass]

Cosmetic surgery? Botox?

Such things often aren't covered by health plans but may be deductible (or be deducted even when they aren't deductible).

[bushgirlsgonewild]

Botox my ass. Prove you whiney little allegations or shut the hell up.

And does it really matter, after all, Bush has been "anointed by GOD to be President".

[bushgirlsgonewild]

Botox my ass. Prove your whiney little allegations or shut the hell up.

And what if he did use Botox? Reagan (and the guys from Flock of Seagulls) dyed their hair in the 80's.

And does it really matter, after all, Bush has been "anointed by GOD to be President".

[Mithras]

Bushgirls said it for me (twice!) although I might have been a tad more polite. (Yes, me.) So, MacGuire, what's the relevance of Kerry's (or rather, his and his wife's) medical expenses? Is there a problem?

On the other hand, there is a potential issue in George W. Bush's medication level. Can we have those records made public, please?

[Pat Curley]

If Lurch is really taking Botox, he needs to up the dosage. I wish I had his hair, but I wouldn't trade for that face.

Mithras, your link didn't work.

[Fredrik Nyman]

Forget about Botox.

I do think it is a valid question, though, to ask what kind of medical treatment Kerry spent $40,000 on and why it either wasn't covered by his health plan, or he chose to pay for it directly.

Especially given Kerry's history of lying about his medical problems.

[Mithras]

I do think it is a valid question, though, to ask what kind of medical treatment Kerry spent $40,000 on ...

No, no. He spent $9k, and he got no deduction.

Here's my link about Bush.

[Paul Zrimsek]

I followed your link, Mithras, and I've got to say that the Bush Girls also said it for me, twice. But why did they say it here instead of there?

[bushgirlsgonewild]

"Especially given Kerry's history of lying about his medical problems."

Let's see this 'given'.

[Forbes]

Bushgirlsgonenutty: Try adding to the dialogue, as opposed to resorting to personal invective. The question is about a disclsure of unreimbursed medical expense on Sen. Kerry's tax return, in contrast with the understandng that members of Congress have a comprehensive medical plan. It may in fact be as trivial as botox, but it is a question lacking an answer. Curious minds want to know. Your Mithras link adds nothing relevent to this discussion, while subtracting credibility--like palm readers, you're supplying face readers. Wonderful.

[Mithras]

Mithras link adds nothing relevent to this discussion, while subtracting credibility--like palm readers, you're supplying face readers.

Fine. Can we get a blood sample?

[bushgirlsgonewild]

Curious minds want to know. Hmmm.

Ignorant minds may want to know, but the medical expenses thing is really fishing for something, anything...once again.

Keep trying, perhaps you'll uncover that Kerry once tipped a waitress less than 20%.

[Fredrik Nyman]

Mithras,

Why would he itemize $9K if he can't deduct it?

Here is the given.

[bushgirlsgonewild]

Kerry's 'history' of lying about his health? That's a 'history'? In my opinion, the following commentary says it all:

At the press conference, the reporter asked Kerry why he had lied and Kerry said first because his doctor was away and would not have been around to provide information to reporters, and second, “Because members of my family, most importantly, had not yet been told…I believe that members of my family deserve to learn -- not reading the newspapers but deserve to learn from me. And that's why I made that decision. I could parse the word ‘sick’; I'm not going to. But I thought my family came first.”

That was, to my recollection, one of the few times in political history that a candidate admitted having lied to a reporter.

The Kerry campaign did not know how the press would take this - - would reporters say Kerry’s credibility had been irreparably damaged? - - but judging by the first 24-hour news cycle, Kerry has skated through unscathed.

The Boston Globe, which might have been expected to harshly criticize Kerry in its editorial, instead praised him for “dealing forthrightly with the diagnosis and impending surgery.” No mention was made of lying to the Globe reporter.

Kerry is now recovering from successful surgery. And though his aides fully expect some of the other Democrats to launch a “whispering campaign” about Kerry’s cancer, Kerry’s staff believes it will be a non-issue.

After all, even though Kerry today is lying down in a hospital bed, in another sense he has taken a punch and is still standing.

[Another Thought]

Kerry needs to make his health records public, like all presidential candidates. Of course, his wife also needs to make her tax record public as well.

It seems there is a lot that Kerry needs to disclose, especially as he has claimed to be the candidate of open and transparent government.

Some of the diseases we do know Kerry suffers from: dishonesty; hypocrisy; and an absolutely horrible case of the flip flops.

[texcritic]

There is no need for anyone to knock Kerry over this issue, but there also no need for anyone to slam us for being curious.

The number is closer to $40 grand in medical expenses paid out of pocket, or it should be since there is a 7.5% of Adjusted Income Threshold before a deduction can be made. It is a puzzelment why such an expense would not be covered under his Senate plan.

His tax return could be in error and he incorrectly deducted $9 of out of pocket expenses, which could be, I guess his deductibles, if any, from the Senate plan and maybe some botox. The wrinkles did disappear from his forehead.

I think we'd see $40 grand worth of plastic surgery show up more than is currently under view.

Maybe this is chiropractic work which could be excluded from the Senate plan?

[texcritic]

There is no need for anyone to knock Kerry over this issue, but there also no need for anyone to slam us for being curious.

The number is closer to $40 grand in medical expenses paid out of pocket, or it should be since there is a 7.5% of Adjusted Income Threshold before a deduction can be made. It is a puzzelment why such an expense would not be covered under his Senate plan.

His tax return could be in error and he incorrectly deducted $9 of out of pocket expenses, which could be, I guess his deductibles, if any, from the Senate plan and maybe some botox. The wrinkles did disappear from his forehead.

I think we'd see $40 grand worth of plastic surgery show up more than is currently under view.

Maybe this is chiropractic work which could be excluded from the Senate plan?

[capt joe]

yep, kerry's not falling down, those son of a b****es knocked him down.

weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

[bushgirlsgonewild]

Bush released his health records: Costs Up, Coverage Down, Companies Cash In.

[Jeff]

Unless you have someone hack away at your prostate in the most basic and rudimentary fashion, the procedure is not covered in its entirety. Botox is a cosmetic, not medical procedure. You guys are a bunch of Hatriots. Kerry may not be perfect, but give me a guy who went to the Nam over a chickenshit who went AWOL any day.

Discuss!

[FredRum]

Botox isn't tax deductible. That doesn't mean that some individuals and accountants won't try to slip it past the IRS, of course, so you couldn't say conclusively without seeing an itemized list. But keep in mind that it takes some effort to spend even $1,500 a year on Botox--which is a semiannual or quarterly kind of a thing--let alone $40K. With that kind of cash he'd be financing major jaw/chin reconstruction, a facelift, an eyelid lift, permanent laser removal of 5-o'clock shadow, etc., and it's obvious that none of that has happened (apologies for snarkiness...I was really trying to keep this serious but couldn't resist). Even if there were a potentially "embarrassing" condition he were trying to keep private--say, ED which is a common result of prostate surgery--medicine and treatment would be covered by his health plan rather than being an unreimbursed expense. Which makes the situation all the more interesting, IMHO.

[TM]

Just to restate earlier comments - Kerry reported $9,000 in medical expenses; since this was below the $35 K threshold, he received *no* deduction from his AGI.

Still, $9,000 is a lot of money.