Taxpayers Paid $9M For NY Teachers' Cosmetic Work

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo teachers rang up nearly $9 million worth of taxpayer-covered cosmetic surgery in 2009, according to the state-appointed authority overseeing public school finances.

The Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority found that last year's costs for elective procedures such as chemical peels and other skin treatments were up $8 million over 2004's $1 million tab for cosmetic surgery.

The procedures, provided under the teachers' union contract, accounted for 9 percent of the district's total spending on health benefits for employees and retirees, The Buffalo News reported Thursday.

About 10,000 school employees are eligible for the benefit. District officials said teachers or their dependents accounted for 90 percent of the approximately 500 people who received cosmetic surgery last year.

The president of the Buffalo Teachers Federation said the union has agreed to give up the benefit in the next contract and said teachers may be simply rushing to use the benefit while they can.

Board of Education member Christopher Jacobs said the cost increase "smacks of abuse" and is asking the district and the city comptroller to investigate.

Most procedures were performed by eight doctors, the newspaper said, including one who billed the district $4.3 million.

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Information from The Buffalo News: http://www.buffalonews.com

Comments

[SpookyTwo]

09:37 AM on 11/07/2010

When Liberal programs are financial failures, the Liberals blame the taxpayer.

[Trapster]

02:57 PM on 11/01/2010

Incomplete data. Got everybody riled up though didn't it? Psychhhhhh!

[glockman]

06:18 PM on 10/30/2010

Have to love that responsible government use of taxpayer money.

[jkkFL]

11:25 AM on 10/31/2010

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12296510
There are studies that show a high incidence of breast cancer in teachers, even in male teachers.
I cite the CA study because it focuses on teachers only.
9% is a small margin- how much did the local government waste that same year? Bet it was at least double.

[glockman]

11:45 AM on 10/31/2010

What does the high incidence of breast cancer among teachers have to do with my post, or this topic?

If the cosmetic surgery was for a breast cancer survivor, fine. If the surgery was to satisfy a narcissistic need, I have a problem with that. Unions wonder why more Americans are growing weary of their tactics. Maybe they shouldn't negotiate for nonsensical things like unnecessary cosmetic surgery.

Anyway, I'm sure there are high incidents of breast cancer in a cross section of professions.

[StellaFox]

01:59 PM on 11/02/2010

HA! Do you have any idea of how many service members get elective cosmetic surgery on the taxpayers dime?

[hypatia67]

01:22 PM on 10/30/2010

After a mastectomy, breast reconstruction is considered plastic surgery. Repairing some congenital problems are considered plastic surgery. I wonder what the surgeries were for.

[drbslurp]

08:56 PM on 10/30/2010

Breast is considered reconstruction after an acquired loss. Skin peels are elective plastic surgeries that the union agreed to give up in the future - I'm sure they didn't agree to give up breast reconstruction

[UNLVGOP]

09:28 PM on 10/31/2010

They say the surgeries were elective, like chemical peels and other skin treatments.....

[Hnorc]

10:41 PM on 10/31/2010

Breast reconstruction like the majority of plastic surgery is considered elective surgery.

[Autumn Rain]

02:56 PM on 10/29/2010

This is totally absurd! Why don't they just shop for tons of makeup and body wash?
http://www.quotes-safari.com/

[who38]

01:17 PM on 10/29/2010

So the union executed a contract that allowed perqs for their members. Good on them.

[glockman]

06:20 PM on 10/30/2010

Meanwhile, county budgets are starved for cash, and real social needs go unfunded.

But hey, at least teachers can look good....

Sheesh.

[who38]

02:52 PM on 10/31/2010

....and continue to use their out of pocket funds to subsidize their classroom supply budget. Not having to pay for medical procedures frees up more funds for them. Kind like the US subsidy of Israel's defense frees up funds for universal health care and funding of settlements.

[teacher39years]

09:45 AM on 10/29/2010

I'm sure this is news because it is such as exception to the rule. What about teachers paying $700 a month for low end HMOs ?

[drbslurp]

08:57 PM on 10/30/2010

Where? In NJ teachers get full family medical, dental, and vision - for life - for free.

[who38]

02:53 PM on 10/31/2010

Doesn't that depend on a union contract? If not, every teacher will now want to transfer to Jersey.

[Ryan Novosielski]

11:48 PM on 11/08/2010

So what?

[teacher39years]

09:44 AM on 10/29/2010

In our district, you can't have a callous removed from your foot unless you're diabetic.

[who38]

02:57 PM on 10/31/2010

This year, my district's contract stipulated that retirees on Medicare had to pay $7,000 out of pocket prior to receiving any help from Blue Cross/Anthem to pay for the additional 20% of costs not covered by Medicare. And Blue Cross received $6,000 per person for providing this non-service. If other districts were taken in by this scheme, I imagine the health non-provider's profit for the year will be very high.

[500lbSack]

09:12 AM on 10/29/2010

Do the Math $9,000,000/500 patients. $18,000 per skin treatment?
Someone is overcharging.

[corwin]

06:54 PM on 10/29/2010

I wish I could get that !
Corwin,MD

[Jazz88105]

08:45 AM on 10/29/2010

This is an ambush piece the Teachers Union negotiated a contract with the city of Buffalo and now everyone is pissed because they took advantage of their contract. Give me a break Taxpayers want to be pissed they should direct their anger at the person who negotiated the contract for the city and the person who actually singed the contract.

[who38]

01:18 PM on 10/29/2010

I am sure that Wall Street is actively pursuing the union officials who negotiated this contract. Think what they will be able to do for Citibank, AIG, and Goldman Sachs.

[corwin]

06:55 PM on 10/29/2010

Right! Not at the homely people who saw the chance (and seized it) to be more attractive if someone else paid.

[who38]

02:58 PM on 10/31/2010

Given the opportunity, you would not do the same?

[holyghostie]

07:20 AM on 10/29/2010

Interesting stories:
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article40695.ece
It is intersting that Buffalo is running a $9 million dollar defecit, which is what they spent on botox.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/education/500-WNY-teachers-make-6-figure-salaries

[topguide]

01:47 AM on 10/29/2010

Nothing against teachers, but these unions are a sucking up tax payer funds faster than they can spend the money. Tenure and Union jobs need to go. Merit pay need to be the only pay increase available to teachers. Property taxes need to come down. Enough of this hogwash that we're not spending enough on education. We spend close to $20,000 a year on average. Where is all this money going? It's an abomination that mid level administrators make more than experienced teachers. The entire teaching system needs to be overhauled.

[sensimilla]

12:51 PM on 10/29/2010

you spend 20k a year on property taxes?

I'd like to raise your income tax.

[who38]

01:20 PM on 10/29/2010

as does the system regulating Wall Street, the MIC, the medical profession, and laws regulating lobbyists.

[krunk1980]

12:28 AM on 10/29/2010

I really don't have a problem with tax money giving some perks to *GOOD* teachers. I do have a problem with just handing doctors a blank check. If there was national healthcare, doctors wouldn't be so motivated to gouge people when they have a live one with insurance.

[who38]

01:22 PM on 10/29/2010

Isn't it interesting that doctors are never scrutinized in the same manner as teachers? In LA, teacher performance is now a matter of public knowledge while doctors have sued to have their performance kept secret.....and, there has been NO public outcry re/ their lawsuit.

[drbslurp]

08:59 PM on 10/30/2010

If there were 'national healthcare' there would be less doctors - and the ones that would practice would be cash only operations (which more and more are becomming now)

[HSC55]

01:36 AM on 11/01/2010

Where are you getting this? There are so few doctors today because medical schools have limited enrollment and even stopped new medical schools from forming just to keep the number of doctors DOWN so they could keep prices UP. Supply and demand. If demand is high and supply is low you can charge whatever you want. If we had nation healthcare like say FRANCE, we could pay people to go to medical school, as many as we wanted or needed, and they would work for the system. I'd rather have someone who wanted to be a doctor to help someone than one that was in it for the money.

[BlackYowe]

12:09 AM on 10/29/2010

Yeah and Buffalo has bad schools and lots of budget problems, go figure.

[clivechristy]

11:29 PM on 10/28/2010

Evrywon loves a prittee teechuh, its' tha best thing abowt lerning.

[Merkin Teacher]

11:08 AM on 11/01/2010

massively witty, i wish i was u