Medicare isn't usually associated with the more -- for lack of a better word -- glamorous procedures from the cosmetic surgery world. But it looks like folks have found a loophole in eyelid lifts.


Joseph Eaton from The Center For Public Integrity stopped by HuffPost Live to talk about the surprising discovery he made while delving into doctors' billing documents over a 10-year period. The biggest shock? Finding out that eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, procedures charged to Medicare have tripled from 2001 to 2011, with 136,000 patients undergoing the surgery on Medicare in 2011 alone.


Of course, many of these surgeries were merited under the current regulations, Eaton confirms, since Medicare does cover eyelid lifts for those whose drooping eyelids hinder their vision. But the recent sharp increase points to cosmetic motivations, as doctors cite reality television and snazzy advertising as catalysts for requesting the procedure. Who knew Kris Kardashian was such an inspiration?


Watch the story in the video above -- or watch the full segment on HuffPost Live -- and tell us what you think!


Celebrities love plastic surgery, too...





  • Dolly Parton


    Parton has admitted to breast implants, liposuction, under-eye work, fillers, Botox and removing “the pelican pouch” under her chin. In 2012, she told InTouch, "Anybody that’s got the nerve, desire and the money to have surgery, should find a good doctor and just do it."




  • Joan Rivers


    Joan Rivers is very open about her love of plastic surgery and has had 739 procedures done. Needless to say, she's had 'the works.' (Getty photo)




  • Kathy Griffin


    In her memoir, 'Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List,' the comedian writes about her very many plastic surgeries, including a nose job, brow lift, Botox injections, dental veneers, chemical hair straightening, chemical peels and liposuction. (Getty photo)




  • Heidi Montag


    In 2009, the reality TV star had life-changing plastic surgery that included breast implants, liposuction on her stomach and thighs, a brow lift and nose revision. Three years later Montag admits to Celebuzz: "I feel really thankful that it all came out so well--it could have been really disastrous." (Getty photo)




  • Melanie Griffith


    The actress admits to getting a breast-lift in 1991 after the birth of her second child and having collagen injections to her lips. In 1999 Griffith was quoted in Britain's 'Mirror' saying, "I have been thinking about plastic surgery, but I'm not saying where. Turning 40 is difficult. I often think, 'If only someone could put a zip down the back of me and tighten everything up!'"




  • Patricia Heaton


    'Everybody Loves Raymond' star and mother of four kids, told People why she underwent a breast lift and tummy tuck: "Vanity. I mean it. Vanity. I had four C-sections and my stomach looked like the map of the world. My breasts were hanging down to here from breastfeeding those babies, and my nipples were like platters. I wanted to fit into the gowns that I finally got to wear."




  • Tori Spelling


    "Well, I got my boobs done in my early 20s," Spelling told Good Morning America. "If I had known that it would or could possibly impact production of milk, I wouldn't have had them. I love being a mom. I am on my third baby. We want to have more. That's my role... these don't matter."




  • Roseanne Barr


    In September 2003 Roseanne Barr spoke to People about her tummy tuck, nose job, breast reduction and face-lift saying: "I want to get butt implants and a waist. But it's been, like, 10 years since I had anything and I'm kind of scared of it. I'm old and I don't know if I"ll wake up from the anesthetic."




  • Kelly Ripa


    Kelly told a friend, "When all else fails, I get Botox injected right here, right into my forehead, as much as possible." She also <a href="http://www.elle.com/pop-culture/celebrities/kelly-ripa-interview">admitted to getting Botox in her armpits</a> to Elle Magazine.




  • Adrianne Curry


    Adrianne Curry talked to KROQ radio station about her breast augmentation in 2007. The model revealed that after a miscarriage, one of her breasts grew larger than the other, causing a two inch difference in her breast size. Curry underwent surgery to even them out, as it were.




  • Howard Stern


    On his radio show in 2006, Howard Stern admitted to having gotten a nose job and chin lipo.




  • Vienna Girardi


    The "Bachelor" star made no secret about <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2011-07-20-bachelorette-vienna-girardi-gets-a-nose-job">her new nose.</a>




  • Jaime Lee Curtis


    In an interview for People, the actress admitted to having gone under the knife, not specifying what for exactly but saying: "It made me look worse and feel worse. What they say works doesn't."




  • George Clooney


    Once on 'Oprah' Clooney admitted to having an eye lift... though the actor claimed later to Esquire magazine that he was just joking.




  • Gwyneth Paltrow


    <a href="http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/cover/gwyneth-paltrow-interview-0513#slide-1" target="_blank">Gwyneth told Harper's Bazaar in 2013</a>, "I won't do Botox again, because I looked crazy. I looked like Joan Rivers!"




  • Sharon Osbourne


    "I wish I'd never had my breasts done the last time," she told New Magazine. "They've put these bloody great bags in that are too f***ing round--it's like a water bed on your chest."

    (Getty photo)




  • Denise Richards


    "When I was 19, a doctor put in bigger implants than what I asked for. I was in such a hurry to get them that I didn't research my doctor," Richards told Us Weekly. "I just thought because they're a plastic surgeon, they must be good. You have to be your advocate for your own body and ask 100 questions."

    Later Richards wrote:

    "At 19 when I first got my breasts done, I wish that I was confident enough with my body to not have had surgery. That is something that I really want to encourage in my daughters, to embrace their healthy body and have confidence. I actually feel more confident in my skin now than in my 20's. Being confident is one of the sexiest qualities a woman can exude."

    (Getty photo)




  • Jenny McCarthy


    "Me and my friends found a doctor in Arizona that cost about $1,500 to get our boobs done--because they didn't use anesthesia and I didn't know it," McCarthy told WENN. In a later interview with Us Weekly, the former playmate said she was "too young" when she got her implants at 19.

    (Getty photo)




  • Victoria Beckham


    In an interview with British Vogue, Victoria was asked about the absence of her "torpedo bazookas," to which the former Spice Girl reportedly replied, "gone".

    (Getty photo)




  • Kimberly Stewart


    In an interview with Now Magazine, Kimberly states her famous father was supportive of his daughter when she had the implants put in at 18, and even more supportive when she decided to get rid of them. She recalls, "He's very supportive of whatever I do. He was just like, 'If you don't feel comfortable, if you don't feel safe, just get them removed.'"

    (Getty photo)




  • Kourtney Kardashian


    When she was 22, she got surgery to go from a B-cup to a C-cup. "It was so dumb... I just got the idea in my head one day, and that was that. There was no talking me out of it," said Kardashian in an interview with Us Weekly.

    (Getty photo)




  • Jenna Jameson


    "When I had implants, I felt uncomfortable," the former porn star told Us Weekly. "I would be shy at the beach. I know it sounds funny, but I'd wear high-necked clothes, unless I was at an adult-film convention. So I thought, 'why don't I be who I am and get my real ones back?'"




  • Tara Reid


    "I was a 34B, but the right one was always bigger than the left," she told Us Weekly. "He gave me Cs, and I didn't want them. At all."

    (Getty photo)




  • Heidi Montag's Plastic Surgery Overkill


    Related video





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