[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 207 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 207

  To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for 
                       health insurance premiums.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 12, 2009

  Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for 
                       health insurance premiums.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Health Insurance Tax Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. DEDUCTIBILITY OF HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS.

    (a) Allowance of Deduction.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (a) of section 213 of the 
        Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to medical, dental, 
        etc., expenses) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) Allowance of Deduction.--There shall be allowed as a 
deduction the following amounts not compensated for by insurance or 
otherwise--
            ``(1) the amount by which the amount of expenses paid 
        during the taxable year (reduced by the amount deductible under 
        paragraph (2)) for medical care of the taxpayer, the taxpayer's 
        spouse, and the taxpayer's dependents (as defined in section 
        152, determined without regard to subsections (b)(1), (b)(2), 
        and (d)(1)(B) thereof) exceeds 7.5 percent of adjusted gross 
        income, plus
            ``(2) so much of the expenses paid during the taxable year 
        for insurance which constitutes medical care under subsection 
        (d)(1)(D) (other than for a qualified long-term care insurance 
        contract) for such taxpayer, spouse, and dependents as does not 
        exceed $2,000 ($4,000 in the case of a joint return).''.
            (2) Limitation based on adjusted gross income.--Section 213 
        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 
        the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Limitation With Respect to Certain Medical Insurance 
Premiums.--The amount of the deduction allowed by subsection (a)(2) 
(determined without regard to this subsection) shall be reduced (but 
not below zero) by 5 percent of so much of the taxpayer's adjusted 
gross income as exceeds $75,000 ($150,000 in the case of a joint 
return).''.
    (b) Deduction Allowed Whether or Not Taxpayer Itemizes Deduction.--
Section 62(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (defining adjusted 
gross income) is amended by inserting after paragraph (21) the 
following new paragraph:
            ``(22) Health insurance premiums.--The deduction allowed by 
        section 213(a)(2).''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2008.
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