Diabetic finally gets tax relief from Wal-Mart

Henry Hutchmacher Jr.'s 11-year-old daughter has diabetes. Every day, she goes through a handful of alcohol swabs, lancets and glucose strips.

Those diabetic supplies are exempt from sales tax, according to state law, yet Hutch- macher said he had a hard time convincing the Wal-Mart in Goose Creek to give the break to his daughter, Ashley.

Most of what a diabetic patient needs can be prescribed, said Wayne Weart, professor of pharmacy and family medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, including items that do not necessarily require a prescription, such as alcohol swabs and glucose strips.

A patient may seek a prescription for items that don't require one in order to receive coverage under an insurance plan, he said. Another benefit is that all prescriptions are exempt from sales tax.

Read the full article at postandcourier.com