Alzheimer's Reading Room: Vytorin Postgame: Worse Than Expected

clipped from blogs.wsj.com The discussion of that big Vytorin study at this weekend’s big cardiology meeting was harsher than expected. Industry observers had predicted that an open conversation by the experts could temper the negative image of the drug that emerged earlier this year after the study results were made public, but just the opposite occurred. The study was presented at the conference yesterday and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine. “You’ve just seen a negative trial that should change practice, especially the way we in this country have prescribed,” Harlan Krumholz of Yale told thousands of cardiologists at the meeting, the WSJ reports. The NEJM also published an editorial based on the study results, calling on doctors to prescribe Zetia (and, by extension, Vytorin), only in selected cases. Catherine Arnold of Credit Suisse called the discussion “surprisingly negative,”

Assisted living costs for Alzheimer's patient is tax deductible

clipped from www.usatoday.com Q: My mother just went into an assisted living facility due to Alzheimer's. It costs over $4500 per month. Are any portion of these expenses tax deductible? Answer from AICPA member Kenneth J. Strauss: Sorry about your mother but the good news is that the entire $4,500 is fully tax deductible as a medical expense. The rules can get pretty complicated but it is clear that Alzheimer's disease is a severe cognitive impairment which is the threshold for determining if the taxpayer is entitled to a full medical deduction. Like all medical deductions the total amount of medical deductions is an itemized deduction. The medical expenses in excess of 7.5% of her adjusted gross income are deductible. Depending on how high her income is will determine the full tax benefit. This might be a year to take some extra money from her retirement account. If your mother does not have the resources and you or another family member is paying then you should see if your mom can qualify as a dependent.