[net.taxes] medical expenses deduction

shazam@mhuxl.UUCP (Tom Marsden) (03/19/84)

       I need help in determining whether money given to a relative
       to cover the costs of medical insurance and hospital
       expenses is deductible.  Last year, my wife and I acquired
       medical insurance for her mother and paid off a portion of a
       hospital bill, both totaling less than $1,000.  After reading
       through the IRS publications and Lasser`s guide, it appears
       that such expenses cannot be deducted unless she had been a
       dependent or beneficiary of a family trust fund, neither of
       which was the case.  Are such expenses deductible, and, if
       so, what forms and procedures are required by the IRS?

       Thanks in advance.


                     Tom Marsden
                     AT&T Bell Laboratories
                     (201) 582-6680
                     mhuxl!shazam