There are a ton of ways to help educate the general public of Celiac Disease and the gluten free diet, but very few are going to reach as large of an audience as seeing Celiac being featured in the New York Times. That is why I was thrilled to see that the New York Times published an article covering The Expense of Eating with Celiac Disease the other day.
If you or anyone in your family has been on the gluten free diet for any amount of time, you know that the expenses can quickly add up, especially here in the United States. In their article, the NY Times explains that in Britain patients found to have Celiac are often prescribed gluten free products by their doctors. In Italy, sufferers are instead given a stipend to spend on gluten free food.
So, why don’t we have a similar solution here in the United States to help reduce the costs of being on a gluten free diet? According to their article:
Some doctors blame drug makers, in part, for the lack of awareness and the lack of support. “The drug makers have not been interested in celiac because, until very recently, there have been no medications to treat it,” said Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. “And since drug makers are responsible for so much of the education that doctors receive, the medical community is largely unaware of the disease.”
As we’ve discussed here in the past, another popular tip for those who suffer with Celiac Disease in the United States is to claim a tax deduction. The article also gives sound advice on this subject:
Do you have a flexible spending account at work? Ask the plan administrator if you can use those flex spending dollars on the excess cost of gluten-free goods — many plans let you do this. For more on tax deductions, go to the tax section of the Celiac Disease Foundation’s Web site.
Overall the article is very educational for the general public, and has a few nice tips for those who suffer from Celiac Disease. You can read the article here.
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