Retainer paid for boutique health care question

[jlhughes]

Is the retainer paid to a "boutique" or "concierge" medical practice deductible as a medical expense?

As I understand the concept this retainer is paid annually to the medical practice which limits the number of patients that are cared for by the practice. Typically the practice provides "perks" such as same day appointment, max of a 15 minute wait, 1 hour appointments, contact with a nurse 24/7, ability to see your primary care physician on weekends and holidays, etc. The annual retainer is typically $1500 and up. The patient still pays for medical care as usual. The retainer guarantees more liberal access to the doctor but does not pay for health care.

Thanks for the help.

[Bees Knees]

Seems to me it is a form of insurance policy.

But I don't know. I'm just guessing.

[jlhughes]

I've been doing much research trying to find an answer. In this case the retainer will cover an annual "executive" physical in addition to the other things I posted. That is not the case for all of the boutique medical practices.

None of the FAQs for any of the boutique practices that have web sites answer the question about the retainer being tax deductible. They simply say "consult your tax advisor".

I was able to find a reference to these retainer fees on a powerpoint about HCFSA (health care federal federal savings account, if memory serves me) that clearly states that HCFSA funds cannot be used to pay physicial retainer fees including boutique and concierge fees.

One of the other interesting things I found out is that most of these practices cannot/will not accept medicare.