I am looking at purchasing a treadmill. I was told by the store that I could be reimbursed for sales tax, if I got an Rx from my Dr.
My Dr. refused to write the prescription.
I accept that he won’t and don’t plan on pursuing it further, I will suck it up and eat the tax.
After I hung up the phone, I started thinking about it and feel like I would have had a better shot at getting the prescription if I was overweight, diabetic, etc. However, since I am physically fit…I can’t get the same benefit as an obese person.
Now…I do not know for sure that he would write one for someone who was overweight…so there is an assumption on my part. But…the treadmill stores I visited made it sound like people do this all the time.
Is it normal for a Dr to refuse to do this? Do fat people get tax breaks? This reminds me when our gym at work offered free memberships to people who quit smoking…but there was no reward for those who didn’t smoke in the first place.
IIRC it has to be for a specific treatment plan, not as preventive medicine.
Years ago I remember reading about how a family got a tax write-off on a pool they had built, by getting their doctor to prescribe it as treatment for their autistic child.
I have not heard of this. Maybe it’s a state by state thing.
However, I am not sure if I would give you one because it’s scheming to get out of taxes. I would however do it for a morbidly obese person. I am sorry you feel discriminated but what you are doing is breaking the spirit of the purpose of the tax break, while the obese person is getting the TM to combat something that is definitely shown to kill people.
It sounds like you need a different Dr. After years of going to my primary, them suggesting I take 3 weeks off from training every time I was sick and them thinking I was a first time patient each time, I decided to find a primary who better understood my situation and could relate.
I have not heard of this. Maybe it’s a state by state thing.
However, I am not sure if I would give you one because it’s scheming to get out of taxes. I would however do it for a morbidly obese person. I am sorry you feel discriminated but what you are doing is breaking the spirit of the purpose of the tax break, while the obese person is getting the TM to combat something that is definitely shown to kill people.
Is it scheming to get out of taxes, or expecting the same tax break a fat person gets?
I am using it to stay healthy, which ultimately (knock on wood) reduces tax payer’s $ for treatment/care.
But…I guess that would mean there just shouldn’t be sales tax on exercise equipment in the first place.
Just seems messed up and makes me even more pissed off at fat people who could care less about their health, cause my health insurance to increase, and use a disproportionate amount of tax payer’s money.
Just seems messed up and makes me even more pissed off at fat people who could care less about their health, cause my health insurance to increase, and use a disproportionate amount of tax payer’s money.
And pay the same amount of money as you do for an airplane ticket while taking up more than their fair share of seat space. And to add insult to injury you are charged if your checked bag is 1 pound over the weight limit but the 300 pound person next to you making your flight a living hell is charged nothing extra. I could go on.
Just seems messed up and makes me even more pissed off at fat people who could care less about their health, cause my health insurance to increase, and use a disproportionate amount of tax payer’s money.
And pay the same amount of money as you do for an airplane ticket while taking up more than their fair share of seat space. And to add insult to injury you are charged if your checked bag is 1 pound over the weight limit but the 300 pound person next to you making your flight a living hell is charged nothing extra. I could go on.
Good point! I never thought of that, now I am even more pissed off.
Hi Mike, I am not surprised by this. My own doctor whom I like and respect very much probably wouldn’t write a treadmill prescription for me either. He has flat out asked me why I run. For sports related issues I have another doctor I go to and I believe this individual would be much more receptive to this kind of request. I would encourage you not to give up and try another doctor.
There is no reason why you need a treadmill. You have no condition that will not allow you to go on the roads or perform some other type of exercise. You want it for a hobby and convenience.
You are asking a physician to put his/her license on the line for you. If the state came to him/her and asked for a rationalization for the script…there would be none and the doc would face issues with their regulatory body as well as with the tax authorities. No was the absolutely correct answer and honestly, I don’t think the doctor should have even been asked.
I’ll be the douche and say maybe you should be a responsible human being and pay the taxes you’re responsible for and not try to duck them and shaft society.
Hopefully the fact that your doctor follows rules means he is an ethical person and is more likely to go the extra mile for you when you are sick etc. I don’t know the rules in your state for writing a note to get the taxes covered.
The other thing is quite often the store/accountant will say you will get a break if doctor writes the note. Easy for them to say they are not writing the note.
I find it a real pita to be the judge of whether something is covered. Sometimes it is quite clear but I get asked all the time for notes as to whether someone needs massage therapy. Couldn’t we all benefit from some massage therapy?
So ask your doctor what health problems you need to have in order to get the script. Then go get those health problems. Need to weigh 300 lbs…better start eating (and stop competitive exercising)! If you are gonna get the tax break you gotta earn it.
Seriously, I agree with Len, and marklmcd. Ethics is a thing—you know, what you do when no one is looking? They aren’t there to be ignored for your personal convenience.
I’ll be the douche and say maybe you should be a responsible human being and pay the taxes you’re responsible for and not try to duck them and shaft society.
…did you read my post?
I accept that he won’t and don’t plan on pursuing it further, I will suck it up and eat the tax.
I think you have a bigger issue than paying taxes on your treadmill… You have to realize that not everybody is fat/obese by choice. People need to be educated on their food choices and on the benefits of exercising and you need to stop being pissed off at fat people. Reading your posts here you sound like a complete asshole.
I think you have a bigger issue than paying taxes on your treadmill… You have to realize that not everybody is fat/obese by choice. People need to be educated on their food choices and on the benefits of exercising and you need to stop being pissed off at fat people. Reading your posts here you sound like a complete asshole.
Because all information regarding how eating junk food and not exercising makes you gain weight is secretly stored and a very few select people have access to it?
There is no reason why you need a treadmill. You have no condition that will not allow you to go on the roads or perform some other type of exercise. You want it for a hobby and convenience.
You are asking a physician to put his/her license on the line for you. If the state came to him/her and asked for a rationalization for the script…there would be none and the doc would face issues with their regulatory body as well as with the tax authorities. No was the absolutely correct answer and honestly, I don’t think the doctor should have even been asked.
I wasn’t asking him to put anything at risk. He made the decision to not write it and I said I would suck it up and eat the taxes.
However, regarding your opinion that I have no condition that prevents me running on open roads. I visited him 3 times in the last 18 months for fatigue. We did blood tests to see what was going on. Everything came back normal (thankfully). The heat (I am in Texas) was causing severe fatigue, so I began doing most of my training indoors and saw immediate improvement. Clearly, that wasn’t enough for him to feel the script was justified…but that is the reason I am buying another treadmill, and the reason I asked him about it.
You are not being treated for anything so what would the doctor’s note say? I look forward to the day when we get charged by the pound for our health insurance. Please someone make this happen.
I always enjoy these threads, if for no other reason than people who don’t get/hear what they want from their physician immediately assume it’s because they’re “not an athlete”, and “don’t understand that I’m a triathlete”.
Maybe we should push the AMA to add a course in triathlete physiology because we’re so damned different from other humans.
(Or maybe, just maybe, doctor’s don’t always do what we want because we’re all a little bit addled, and try to rationalize away why we do irrational things, whether asking for a prescription for a treadmill we don’t medically need, or refuse to take adequate time off when injured).