The medical community is in an uproar over some proposed legislation that could make a trip to the plastic surgeon or a medical spa more expensive.

 

People are calling it the Botax. It's a 5 percent tax on elective procedures such as Botox and other nips and tucks that lawmakers are hoping will help fund the nearly $1 trillion health care plan.

 

The bill says the tax would not apply to surgeries to fix a deformity either from birth, accident, or disease. It would apply to procedures like face lifts, liposuction, cosmetic implants and teeth whitening.

 

But as Dr. Paula Hicks points out sometimes cosmetic surgeries have very medical purposes.

 

"Certainly breast reduction surgery is a very good surgery for a lot of women and a lot of them will get denied by the insurance company and therefore considered cosmetic," said Dr. Hicks of the Ave Medical Laser Spa.

 

Under the proposal, Dr. Hicks says an eyelid tuck, which can help with vision, would cost an extra $100 in taxes on top of the $2,000 price tag for the procedure.

 

She says that could be a big hit to her business since most of her clients are not wealthy.

 

"Most of these procedures are not done on people that are rich and have endless amounts of money, it's middle class working women that would be targeted with this tax and it's really not fair."

 

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons 86 percent of cosmetic surgery patients are women. Sixty percent of them have annual incomes between $30,000 and $90,000.

 

The tax, if approved, would raise $6 billion over 10 years.