Cosmetic Surgery for “Medical” Purposes – a Loophole in the Proposed “Bo-Tax”

You may have heard about the possibility of an excise tax being imposed on plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery procedures. It’s a tactic by the Senate Finance Committee to help raise money for the healthcare overhaul plan (which comes in at a hefty price tag of a trillion dollars).

But is it really going to work? Some opponents to the plan state that it’s going to be more of a headache that anything, partly due to the fine line that sits between medically necessary procedures and those that are purely cosmetic.

One such example, that you see quite often in the celebrity news arena is that of nose jobs chalked up to a deviated septum. Stars such as Jennifer Aniston, Ashley Tisdale, and Cameron Diaz all have had this “medical procedure” performed . . . and ended up with new noses in the process.

What exactly is a deviated septum?

By definition, the septum, a thin wall inside of the nose that divides the left and right nasal cavities, is deviated when a trauma causes the septum to block one side of the nose and reduces airflow, causing difficulty breathing. The best way to alleviate this issue is through a surgery called septoplasty.

But, according to Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Raj Kanodia, many procedures morph a septoplasty with a rhinoplasty, and the septorhinoplasty is born. In fact, Kanodia attests that he performs this combination surgery on almost all of his patients.

One other important piece of information to note – a septoplasty does NOT need to change the exterior appearance of the nose. Guess Ashley Tisdale conveniently left out that information when she so famously quoted to People magazine, “I didn't do this because I believe in plastic surgery. I did this to help my health. I literally could not breathe out of the right side of my nose."

Righhhht.

This is just one type of procedure that may easily “get around” the Senate Finance Committee’s proposed 10 percent tax. But certainly others will pop up if in fact this tax goes into effect. In fact, tummy tucks, liposuction, and eye-lifts may all be fair game if consumers can figure out a way to deem them “medically necessary.”

Can’t wait to see what the future brings.