Hot For Teacher (Part 2.0): Dr. Bhangoo Bills District $4.3M Last Year

I want to defend teachers whenever I can for all they have to go through, I cannot imagine how difficult it is to deal with todays children and parents but stories like this make it harder to defend them as with all public unions empoyees they just do not get it, there is no more money for these fat benefits and the public and press are watching everything. Bravo to Gov Patterson for cutting 800 positions. The unions should have negotiated when they had the chance.

I'm not sure why...but this doesn't strike me as the worst thing in the world. They negotiatied something, change it next time. These people are working, it's not like the benefit is just being handed out.

On the other hand, the Dr. is probably exploiting one factor. It breaks down to about $17,000 a day that he's billing. An insurance company would say, we'll cover 60%, or some figure around that. The Dr. pretty much has to accept the figure. Here, it appears no one is knocking down the figure. Any $1000 procedure, billed to insurance, you can probably negotiate for 500 to 600 cash.

One last thing, he must be pretty damn good.

I'm not sure why...but this doesn't strike me as the worst thing in the world. They negotiatied something, change it next time. These people are working, it's not like the benefit is just being handed out.

On the other hand, the Dr. is probably exploiting one factor. It breaks down to about $17,000 a day that he's billing. An insurance company would say, we'll cover 60%, or some figure around that. The Dr. pretty much has to accept the figure. Here, it appears no one is knocking down the figure. Any $1000 procedure, billed to insurance, you can probably negotiate for 500 to 600 cash.

One last thing, he must be pretty damn good.

At least he is a city resident! That $4.6 million dollars went to pay for his $2.1 million dollar home on Waterfront Circle. At least he isn't contributing to suburban sprawl.

I have a friend with his Masters in teaching and English that just found a teaching job after several years of looking and waiting. There's probably 500 recent graduate teaching candidates that cant find jobs that would gladly take any paycheck, let alone a paycheck that comes with cosmetic surgery benefits. Let the market sort out labor.

BenFranklin... that's the problem in NY, you can't negotiaite anything out of a contract. The Board has tried without success. So DO BLAME the teachers union on this one. The problem is, the Taylor Law allows for arbitration on contracts when agreements can't be met. So the unions, with a sterling winning track records under arbitration, chose to go to arbitration whenever they don't get what they want and th judge decides to keep all negotiated terms in previous contracts in new one. It's regressive and ridiculous.

And I don't blame the doctr one bit. He provides a service, has employees and a business. It's not his role to turn customers away out of some atruistic belief that the system is a mess. Blaming him for providing a service is growing misses the point that the system needs to be fixed, not his company.

Sprawl.... I can't even go there. It's such a misplaced argument in this case. Stop blaming the suburbs for the city's problems.

"Vain treatment" I love it

I love how the author of this story is picking on one doctor. What happened to the rest of them? How about letting us know who the rest of them are? And, surely you will post giant photographs of them as well.

Remember that doctors have to sign off on all of these procedures and many of them are doing it simply to pad their pocketbooks or the pocketbooks of their colleagues......This guy knows how to milk the system just as bad as any teacher getting "improvements"

All of these procedures are supposed to be deemed medically necessary and the Doctor should have documentation to back it up. Is anyone going to take a look at the medical necessity paperwork? Is there anyone connected withe the district or BC/BS who checks BEFORE the surgery takes place?

@Ben This is not a service paid for by the insurance company. The rider is paid for in full by the district.

To be fair, Dr. Banghoo can remove facial hair like nobody you ever met before. He' the Elvis of the facial hair removal industry. So we need to pay some respect here.

Jag: I would expect more from a pathetic waste of human space who doesn't live here in Buffalo but feels free to dictate how we should live our life.

F it. If these people can get away with it, then go ahead. Like a friend of mine said, the taxpayers approved it. Or at least, they didn't vote it down. How I really feel is that Buffalo Public Schools are a giant toilet bowl in every sense.

Lester hate teachers they should get no money and pay this money back. they are steeling from the poor people and poor childrens of Buffalo. they spend all time on cell phone to doctor to make them more bueutiful there should only be charter school those teachers mostly volunter the time and get nothing else. Plus most teachers should be women excpet the leaders becasue womens don't should not be paid much.

Reminds me of that episode of The Simpsons where Homer puts miracle hair growth cream on his insurance to prevent "brain freezing."

The taxpayers approved it? Is the teachers' contract voted on by the taxpayers??? I thought the union, school board and administration made those decisions.

Right on, LI2Northpark....the few of us who actually pay taxes don't determine squat.

Read this: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/reese.asp

ancient, but more applicable today than it was when it was written.

sure, toss out the rider. no argument there. we've all had a fun, refreshing bout of righteous indignation and another embarrassing moment in the national media.

but i hope that those who need reconstructive surgery (i'm thinking breast cancer survivors and people who had disfiguring accidents) can still get it.

Well, maybe if the teachers were put on their correct step ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACT, they would not feel like they needed to make up for the $5000 a year they are losing from when they were frozen.

Obviously, many people who read BRO don't understand the meaning of the word CONTRACT. Or maybe you don't realize that Buffalo teachers are being paid way below what they are supposed to be paid ACCORDING TO THEIR CONTRACT.

Are teachers supposed to work for free?

And don't give me that they don't deserve this rider on their health insurance (WHICH IS IN THEIR CONTRACT)--it's there and they have every right to use it. To the max if they want.

If you're jealous of the fantastic pay and benefits of those that teach our youth, go to school and become a teacher.

pbm, you are a right a CONTRACT is a CONTRACT, but in some cases there is just no more money and that pretty much overrides a contract out of sheer reality. In some cases, not just teachers, these unions need to face reality or just be fired and lose evrything. Then the remaining members can keep thier benefits while children and tax payers suffer with lower quality product

I too loved "vain treatment" but I think he said VEIN treatment!

pbm, eventually tenure will be done away with and less lucrative contracts will be the norm. While this is happening, more and more charter schools will be started. You'd think the union would want to garner a little good faith and put their benefits more in line with the societal norm. They have excellent insurance without this rider and you'd think they'd want to keep it. We'll see if they do.

9 Million would go a long way toward hiring more teachers.

Universal health care, anyone ever hear if this? All other civilized countrys have it. If we had it this would not be happening.