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Watch the above video as Neil Cavuto interviews Dr. Jennifer Walden, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon, on Fox Business News on the proposed cosmetic surgery tax in the Senate version of the health care bill. Many plastic surgeons and surgical societies oppose this tax as discriminatory, arbitrary and ineffective.

As Dr. Walden explains, about 90 percent of cosmetic surgery patients are female so
elective surgery taxes unfairly target women. Contrary to popular belief, cosmetic surgery is no longer an
exclusive luxury reserved for the very wealthy – the vast majority of patients are women who work.
Research by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons targeting those who plan to have cosmetic surgery
within the next two years reveals that 60 percent of the respondents report an annual household income of $30,000-$90,000. Most importantly, 40 percent of those report income of
$30,000-$60,000. Only 10 percent of the respondents report
household income of more than $90,000.

It would be an inappropriate position for physicians to be put in to be tax collectors, and the government is in no position to determine medical necessity. A similar program in NJ is about to be repealed as it failed in that state with a huge administrative burden and budget shortfall. We hope the politicians come to their senses on this proposed tax and do not set this precedent of taxing patients and physicians to solve their budget crisis in healthcare reform.

New York Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Jennifer Walden, discusses why taxing elective plastic surgery procedures is not a logical way to fund health care reform efforts. Neil Cavuto of Fox News interviews on this topic.

As we all are well aware, the nation’s health care system is in dire need of reform and cannot continue to support the needs of the American community. Health care costs are on the rise and doctors and patients alike are feeling the pains of the skyrocketing expense. President Obama brought this issue to the forefront of his campaign and is trying to develop a strategy to bring this deficit into prospective. One of the “ideas” presented last week was a new tax on Botox and other plastic surgery procedures. The concept is to place a 10% tax on cosmetic procedures like breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, injectables, and other elective  surgeries. The money generated would be put towards the $1 trillion dollar health care overhaul. Many in Congress have compared this tax to the “sin tax” that is put on cigarettes and alcohol.  We feel there are many, many conflicting issues with this proposal. First, the most obvious is lumping plastic surgery services into the same boat with cigarette usage is absolutely ridiculous. It is well known that cigarettes not just CAN but WILL lead to many forms of cancer and possible death. The strain that cigarette users put on the health care system is also extremely large.  To insinuate a comparison of cigarette and alcohol use to plastic surgery is beyond silly.

Doctors and other health care professionals, not the government, should discern between what procedures are “medically necessary” or not.   But the truth is, many patients who undergo plastic surgery procedures like breast reduction, ear pinning, breast augmentation, and rhinoplasty benefit both psychologically and physically. It is well known that plastic surgery patients are mostly women, so this would end up being a discriminatory move toward women. Also, one of the largest misconceptions about plastic surgery is that it is only the “ultra rich” that undergo these procedures. This generality couldn’t be further from the truth. The plastic surgery patients of today consist of middle class women from the age of 23-65. These women work very hard and save for quite a long time to be able to have these procedures. These are the woman who would ultimately bear the weight of such a decision.

This tax was put into place in New Jersey a few years back and has been a major disappointment. Patients simply got in their cars or on a train to Manhattan to have their surgeries tax free in New York.  Remember, you always have a say in how your government runs the country, so call your local representatives and voice your opinion if you have questions or concerns with health care reform!