Plastic Surgery is not an entitlement

How funny.. I look like a melted candle too.. and I am proud to say that I agree with you. That flame lady sounds like shes talking from a polital position. I say if people like that wanna foot the bill for the less fortunate, then by all means let them foot the bill for ALL of it. I wish that there was a selection box on our taxes letting us choose if we wanna donate to the welfare system. Taxes can be increased on those people who wanna donate to make up for those of us that don't -- that's only fair. Like you said, we shouldn't be forced to support others. If Flame lady wants to donate her money, let her donate.
PS
I'm a hard working adult who believes in individial rights and a smaller government.  And health care in general aint a right either. It's a privledge. Food and Shelter aint rights either. It aint in the Bill of Rights anyhow. You are just guaranteed the right to work for those things and keep em once you earn em. Sounds like the government is the one violating our rights Obamohood and his gang of merry men/women

I have a lot of experience with welfare abuse. I can't count the number of female students Ive encountered who try to get pregnant so they can get a check of their own. I can't count the number of times I've seen folks try to coach their kids to misbehave so they can get a diagnosis of bipolar or something and get more welfare money -- they call it a crazy check.  Parents even have their grandparents become foster parents of their own grandkids so the kids can get social security, welfare, sometimes veterans checks, etc. I sat down and figured it out after reading a similar post and figured that I would be financially better off if I were to quit my job and I have enough medical conditions where I could easily get on disability. You know, I've seen fathers abandon their kids because they say that the kids are better off without them -- that the government will pay the moms more afdc now. The system is tearing families apart and encouraging welfare abuse as a lifestyle. Most of the posters in this forum work, which makes us different from all the people who mooch off the system. But honestly, if you were 17, hated your parents, hated school and knew that if you got pregnant that you would be given an apartment and a monthly check, what would you do? Can you blame people for using Medicaid for plastics if it is offered to them? How hard would it be for you to turn it down if someone offered you tens of thousands of tax free dollars no strings attached. Frankly, discussions of politics generally makes me gag, but this is an issue that I see so often. Let's not judge but let's reform the system. Let's change welfare to workfare and extend coverage to fathers too so families can be encourged to stay together.

I'm with you, Miakawa. I paid for my WLS, including the preop qualifications, out of pocket and I paid for my first round of plastics out of pocket, and I'll be paying for my next round out of pocket. I submitted to insurance and was denied and appealed and was denied.

I made sacrifices to obtain what was important to me. I live in a mountain town. It gets really cold here. I couldn't afford heat for 3 winters. Fortunately, with my school and work schedule I wasn't home very often. I didn't go to a movie for over 2 years. I didn't have cable or a cell phone. I didn't eat out but I did eat a lot of rice and beans because they were inexpensive. Needless to say, I wasn't buying new clothes or driving a fancy car. The year I had WLS I had an AGI of $21,000 and that was while working full time and attending college full time (which I also paid and am still paying for).

I have excellent credit due to my fiscal responsibility and was able to pay for the surgeries with that credit. I made and continue to make life choices that made it possible for me to do this. I made and continue to make sacrifices to achieve my personal goals and I did it all on my own while making $21,000 per year.

If one has insurance that covers plastics- that's great, but no one is dying from excess skin and while it may be unsightly and it may be a hindrance to running a marathon and some other extreme activities, that's the price of extreme obesity followed by extreme weight loss.

So, yes, it chaps my hide when I read the whine posts because I am a regular person who made this work. It takes foresight, dedication, hard work, and long term sacrifice.This attitude of entitlement is really indicative of the current cultural climate. Sad :(

Side note: Regardless of one's age, you are entitled to an opinion- particularly, if one is entitled to your tax dollars. 

Have an outstanding day and make choices that support the life you want to lead everyday!

Well said!

Yes, both of you make a good point.

I do believe healthcare needs reform and I do believe that there are those who need government assistance with their healthcare.  I have a friend who's son is 18 and has cancer. IT's time for his 2nd round of treatment followed by a bone marrow transplant.  His insurance has decided that they are no longer interested in paying for his lifesaving treatment.  This is where I believe we need to be helping others!  This is a life that may end because the parents do not have the money to pay for his treatment.  They both work full time and have paid for healthcare for their son.

For WLS and Plastic Surgery - I do not agree with the government paying for these procedures!  

And about being obese making it difficult to work - well, I worked full time plus a call shift (12 hour nights = 48 hours a week) for over 15 years weighing over 450lbs.  I'm not proud of it, but if you have a family to support you do what you have to do!  I was obese and unsightly and my feet and back hurt like crazy after my long night shifts, BUT I came back less than 11 hours later to start all over again!  Being obese is NOT an excuse for not working!  Having excess skin isn't either. 

I paid out of pocket for my WLS and for my plastics.  It hasn't been easy, but I am motivated to do what I need to do to get what I want.  (my insurance has a total exclusion to plastic surgery.)

Very well said! 

The posts that tend to bug me are the posts about getting plastics and the poster seems desparate and in a panic and they need it RIGHT NOW!  My first thought is how did you manage with the extra 100-200 pounds? I know the skin issues are bothersome but life is so much easier once the weight is off and even if it were never removed you could still function. Plastics are a wonderful thing but it's not life or death.

Hey I feel your pain...but this is America the only place in the world where you can come into this country ilegally (sp) and get free money, healthcare and a college education..but dam if we can get that we have to pay high taxes and bust our asses just to be denied...so whatever...

I agree.  I paid for my own TT AND (via my taxes) have paid for other people's as well.

I will admit that this is an extremely touchy subject for me because,as a counselor I have worked with SO many people (especially during my internships) who are defrauding taxpayers by getting onto social security disability with "trumped up" claims of mental health issues that allegedly keep them from working.  I had a couple of clients ask to be transferred to another therapist when I wouldn't support their claim that their psych/emotional issues prevented them from working (when clearly they were perfectly capable of working).

Lora

I'm paying for my plastics out of pocket. I really am not interested in spending time "trying to prove the medical necessity" of getting cosmetic surgery to an insurance company.