Cosmetic Surgery Tax: Paying More to Look Good!
July 29th, 2009
The US Senate Finance Committee is considering a 10% tax on cosmetic surgery. The hope is to fund the State health care plan in part with an anticipated 1 billion dollars in additional revenue. The anticipated collections are based on the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ estimate of 10.3 billion dollars having been spent on cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine in 2008.
I have expected this for years! New Jersey tried a cosmetic surgery tax in 2004 but it fell short of expectations. The tax was repealed in a later legislative session. Minnesota already has a 2% tax on all medical care to fund Minnesota Care, a state provided medical plan care for the needy. As countries look for new tax revenue, the government of India is considering a similar tax (http://www.prlog.org/10279957-new-cosmetic-surgery-tax-in-india-to-hit-medical-tourism-hard.html). The tax will be extended to all direct patient pay medical services and third party (or insurance) reimbursed care outside the Federal plan mirroring the Minnesota model.
Many cosmetic medicine treatments are now delivered within med spa settings. Even hair salons now offer Botox ® and other types of injections. The idea of cosmetic treatment is much broader than one would first think. Braces, teeth whitening, hair care, cosmetics, massages, nail care, hair waxing, and tanning are all services and products which are part of the cosmetic enhancement realm. As the deficit continues to grow and looms ever larger, a strong argument can and will be made to include these services, as well. It is a slippery slope!
Gina’s Blog: To Lift or Not to Lift
July 22nd, 2009
To lift or not to lift… that is the question. I need to make the decision about doing just a reduction or doing a reduction and lift on the left breast and lift only on the right breast. I have been a serious athlete for quite sometime and needless to say, that has taken a toll on the state of my breasts. All of the running, jumping, being squashed underneath someone while doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, not to mention the fact that I’m almost 40 yrs old and all these things combined are not conducive to perky breasts.
So, with all of these factors going against me, the decision has been tough. Dr. Bashioum gave me information about my choices and he is supportive of whatever I choose to do. Now I have to look at several factors while figuring this out:
1) Children- We have none now, but I might want one. Having a baby after the surgery is done would call for a re-do of the procedure and that requires more money and more recovery time.
2) Recovery on one or both sides- Having never done this procedure before, I don’t know if that would make a difference. I’m thinking it might be good to have a functional side but again, I have nothing to compare it to, so who knows?
3) Scarring- The scarring for a simple reduction is a lot less noticeable than the scarring for a lift. I am very hyper about my body (obviously!) and I’m not sure how I’d feel about looking at those scars day after day. I’m afraid I would find it unattractive/unappealing.
4) Loss of sensitivity in the nipples- That’s a big deal to me. I lost some sensitivity in my left nipple after liposuction and, not to get too personal, but that’s important to me when I’m being intimate with my husband. I don’t know if having perkier looking breasts by doing a lift is worth forfeiting my pleasure. I don’t think it’s a fair trade-off.
As much as I would like to have rounder, higher breasts, I think what’s most important to me is the symmetry of them. Writing has helped me sort out my options. After finishing this blog entry, I guess I’ve made my decision. It seems pretty clear in now, don’t you think? I’m only going to do the reduction on the left side. Stay tuned…
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