Hanna Jaquith, Daily Briefing

The number of Medicare patients undergoing surgery for drooping eyelids has more than tripled over the last decade, leaving many to wonder if taxpayers are footing the bill for seniors' pursuit of youth.

Medicare does not offer coverage for cosmetic surgery. But the program does pay for eyelid lifts, known as blepharoplasty, when a patient's sagging eyelids hinder their vision. Medicare reimbursement for eyelid surgery ranges from $574 to $640 per eye—not exactly a big ticket item. Yet, given the rapid rise in the number of so-called functional eyelid lifts, the dollars quickly add up.