Obesity is a growing health problem in the United States that puts people at risk for disease and illness, but the cost of joining a structured weight-loss program can be prohibitive for people on fixed or limited incomes. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) hopes to reduce the personal cost of weight loss by allowing certain taxpayers to claim weight-loss expenses as a medical tax deduction.

Since 2000, people with health problems that are worsened by obesity (such as heart disease) could deduct the expenses of a weight-loss program if their doctor recommended it. But new legislation says that obesity itself is a disease, and allows obese people to deduct the expenses of a weight-control program if they're under the care of a doctor.

To be able to take the deduction, a person must be under the care of a doctor for obesity. And although membership fees and program costs are deductible, diet foods aren't, even if they're recommended by the diet plan.

Related information Choosing a weight loss program

Sources:  www.irs.gov (IRS Publication 502, page12.)