I don't want anyone practicing on me! So now, not only are soldiers guinea pigs for experimental drugs, but they're also guinea pigs for plastic surgeons?
Here's the part I really don't get. If they're practicing, why do taxpayers have to pick up the tab? Shouldn't the surgeons be offering "practice" plastic surgery services for free? And if you are already a certified plastic surgeon, why would you need "practice?" Not performing enough boob jobs on regular civilians to know what you're doing? I don't know...this just seems really twisted and left me with too many unanswered questions. Are these "surgeons" really students who need practice? If they are, why are taxpayers forced to pay for their services to the military? If they're not students, then why do they need practice? Anyone know?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Army has long lured recruits with the slogan "Be All You Can Be," but now soldiers and their families can receive plastic surgery, including breast enlargements, on the taxpayers' dime. The New Yorker magazine reports in its July 26th edition that members of all four branches of the U.S. military can get face-lifts, breast enlargements, liposuction and nose jobs for free -- something the military says helps surgeons practice their skills."Anyone wearing a uniform is eligible," Dr. Bob Lyons, chief of plastic surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio told the magazine, which said soldiers needed the approval of their commanding officers to get the time off.
Between 2000 and 2003, military doctors performed 496 breast enlargements and 1,361 liposuction surgeries on soldiers and their dependents, the magazine said.
The magazine quoted an Army spokeswoman as saying, "the surgeons have to have someone to practice on."
Why does that last line sound like such a flimsy justification?
Posted by Maria at July 22, 2004 12:45 PM | TrackBackPerhaps they are turning them into unstoppable military fembots. That would be swanky.
Posted by: Jason at July 24, 2004 09:10 PMI asked the same question and I was given a pretty reasonable answer. To remain Board Certified the surgeons must perform a certain number of procedures per year. If a retired/current military person or spouse got breast cancer or needed reconstruction the surgeon couldn't perform it, if he wasn't certified. The military has healthcare for life. Also, military docs don't get paid anywhere near what civilian docs do so the cost of the surgery is not as much.
Posted by: Rosemary the Queen of All Evil at July 25, 2004 02:42 PM