Lauren Sydney Flicker, JD, MBE and Rachel Zuraw, JD, MBE
Taxing cosmetic procedures does not accord with the standard taxing principles of horizontal and vertical equity. Such a tax would be difficult to enforce and could be discriminatory.
Some question whether plastic surgeons bear responsibility for promoting suspect norms of beauty, given that certain types of cosmetic enhancements reinforce common conceptions of normality that are harmful to society.
Rates of referral to a cardiologist, which markedly improves cardiovascular outcomes, differ significantly based on nonclinical patient characteristics.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc., may prevent consumers injured by medical devices that have FDA premarket approval from receiving compensation.