A Buffalo plastic surgeon has a lot of happy patients.
All the 3,400 teachers in Buffalo are eligible to get plastic surgery under one of their insurance plan options, and they are billed for nothing.
Surgery procedure such as botox, liposuction and tummy tucks do not have a deductible.
Dr. Kulwant Bhangoo has been a plastic surgeon in Buffalo for almost four decades and he said the teachers have paid their dues and it would be wrong to take it away from them.
While he does have plenty of non-teacher patients, Dr. Bhangoo does say 3 out of every 10 patients are Buffalo teachers and the school district's insurance covers every single penny.
Dr. Bhangoo is one of many plastic surgeons who advertise in the teachers’ union newsletter.
Last year, Buffalo's schools spent $5.9 million on plastic surgery which is also known as a cosmetic rider. And Buffalo teachers have had this rider for nearly four decades.
Now you might think Buffalo's school district must be flush with cash to be offering perks like free plastic surgery, right?
Wrong.
The president of the Buffalo Board of Education says he is projecting a $42 million deficit in next year's school budget.
Teachers say the contract with the city expired nearly a decade ago and negotiations for a new one have failed. And they add they are woefully underpaid.
Teachers say they’ve told the district from the beginning of negotiations six or eight years ago that they’re willing to give it up, so as long the district comes back to the table with us, it's gone.
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