Congress Pulls Plug on Viagra Subsidies

[NVMojo]

wow! what an uplifting decision!

WASHINGTON (AP) -

It took a hurricane to do it, but Congress has finally ended federal subsidies for users of Viagra and other sexual performance drugs.

The Senate on Wednesday passed without debate and sent to the president legislation that ends Medicare and Medicaid payments for erectile dysfunction drugs as part of a package that extends medical help for the poor and provides unemployment benefit aid to states hit by Hurricane Katrina.

"This legislation extends very important benefits for people who live on the edge of poverty," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

"And the provision included to offset the cost of these programs recognizes that taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for certain lifestyle prescription drugs through Medicare and Medicaid."

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-cong/2005/oct/20/102005130.html

[closeupready]

1. Impotence is not a "lifestyle issue" - it's a serious problem.

Impotence also does not reflect sexual appetite or desire, particularly as a man gets older. This is just a sort of soft appeal to the puritanical, sex-negative Religious Reich.

[Demeter]

19. Birth Control is Serious Too

Do you see anybody advocating equality in medical coverage? Not in DC, you don't. No Pill, no Viagra. No sex, everybody's too poor and too tired and too sick. What a country.

[Carni]

22. Oh please so is being pregnant

But that hasn't concerned Congress at any time... women can just shell out the bucks for birth control right?

[MarsThe Cat]

52. it's not a life-threatening issue.

good decision.

[Blaq Dem]

57. Well, maybe for Bob Dole it is...

His head might pop off. LOL

Pop goes the weasel as the weasel goes POP!!

[trogdor]

63. When was the last time someone died of impotence?

Guys get old. Their dicks wear out. It's life. Deal with it. We taxpayers do not need to be footing the bill for this sort of thing, ESPECIALLY given the fact that many of the same people who will fight for a man's right to Viagra will fight just as hard to keep the Pill away from various categories of women.

[shanti]

2. took 'em long enough...

:eyes:

[willing dwarf]

3. Nice they got up the nerve to take the bull by the horns on this.

[NVMojo]

4. or horn ...

[CountAllVotes]

7. roflmao!!!

or horn! :evilgrin:

heheee

:kick:

[NVMojo]

9. I know ...I am a sick perverted ticket ...

:toast:

[CountAllVotes]

10. oh I didn't realize that

when you refer to a "horn" exactly what might this infer I query? :D :D :D :D :D

:kick:

[NVMojo]

35. um ....gee, if I say, will I get tombstoned???

LOL!

[CountAllVotes]

41. it ok, really ... its ok

I know, so don't go worrying yourself about nothing (well next to nothing mind you). :D :D :D

:toast: !!!

[BiggJawn]

5. "Lifestyle Prescription Drugs"? Um, like Insulin?

Hey, can anybody deny that if I had lived a clean, healthy, Dr. Weil kind of life and kept my weight down and exercised that I might not have Type II diabetes NOW?

Hmmmm?

"This legislation extends very important benefits for people who live on the edge of poverty,"

Guess an erection is not "very important" when you're poor. sure, what do you need a boner for? shouldn't you be taking that excess energy and using it to find a Better Job(tm) someplace?

Somebody tell me this is NOT linked to that Ageist mindset of "Those dirty old men should quit acting like FOOLS and get used to the fact that they're TOO OLD for such nonsense as sex..."

Yeah, I hear ya, sex is for the Young Only.

Or Capitalists who can afford Cialis out-of-pocket.

[sybylla]

11. No insurance company pays for my birth control pills

which I take for hormonal imbalance, having had a tubal 17 years ago.

Like that's a lifestyle choice too. :crazy:

Birth control pills have never been paid for by insurance companies in the normal course of business since their introduction 40+ years ago for any reason. Never noticed too many men complaining about that.

Perhaps men will have to do as women and start going to family planning clinics for affordable "reproductive" care.

[BiggJawn]

14. So.....instead of correcting the inequity....

We just applaud the fact that now EVERYBODY's fucked, right?

Your insurance sucks, BTW. Mine covers:
ORTHO CEPT (MD)‎
ORTHO CYCLEN (MD)‎
ORTHO EVRA (MD)‎
ORTHO MICRONOR (MD)‎
ORTHO NOVUM (all) (MD)‎
ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN (MD)‎
ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LO (MD)

All on the "Preferred" formulary.

It does NOT cover Cialis or Viagra. Nor "Plan B".

And does not Medicaid provide coverage for "Family Planning"? What, they give you an aspirin and tell you hold it between your knees?

I'm not your enemy, damn it.‎

[sybylla]

16. Relax. I'm not saying we shouldn't correct the inequity.

I'm just saying I'm not surprised that they are dumping coverage of viagra.

And over the past 25 years I've had insurance plans that ranged from very good to my current bare-bones, catastrophic, self-employed, all-I-can-afford, plan and even the ones with prescription coverage never covered birth control. Never knew any non-union, average joe/jane who had coverage any better than mine. In fact, never met anyone who did, period. Even my well paid engineering husband couldn't get better coverage from his employers. Lucky you.

I'd welcome you to my world but you don't seem too happy to be here.

[BiggJawn]

18. You just met one.

"Never knew any non-union, average joe/jane who had coverage any better than mine. In fact, never met anyone who did, period. Even my well paid engineering husband couldn't get better coverage from his employers."

"Lucky you."

Yeah, if only I had any need for birth control pills.

"I'd welcome you to my world but you don't seem too happy to be here."

S'allright, I like it just fine here on Planet Snarky.
I'm not that evil, I just get fed up with all the "Why are boner pills paid for?" rhetoric. General sense I'm getting from this thread is celebratory. Stickin' it to the Ol' Evil Patriarchy, y'know...

[Carni]

24. Yeah well the Repuke voters just happen to have the greatest need

PROBABLY--and no I don't have any links to back that up but common sense tells me...who takes viagra?

Typically Men (obviously)usually past thirty, posessing enough money to even have the luxury of seeking treatment for their problem.

The bulk of that group votes GOP.

I am not celebratory... just sort of chuckling over the irony that their heros are screwing them the way they (the GOP) has been screwing women for years.

[sybylla]

27. Planet Snarky?

That seems to be your world. If you think it's mine, you're reading far too much into my post, sweetpea.

Too bad. This was a fine opportunity to have a decent discussion about health care equity and caprices of unregulated insurance coverage.

[BiggJawn]

42. No, friend, Planet Snarky is *MY* world.

You're right about the missed chance to discuss health care.
You seem to have trouble understanding my dialect.

Oh, and now the rest of the discussion has turned to "Oh, no, we are laughing at the ReTHUGlican men since it's THEY who have 'problems'..."

S'Yeah, what-Eh-VUH...
Sorry if I angered you.

[NVMojo]

36. I was more concerned about them wasting time on this issue unless ...

it's yet another form of population control from the right who also doesn't want to pay for birth control yet abhors abortion. Talk about a bunch of sick mixed up dickheads!

[kath]

33. Mine used to cover the Pill.

[IndyJones]

43. Since when? My birth control has always been covered by insurance.

[raccoon]

47. Right, sybylla, when I had group insurance

they'd pay for b.c. pills if it was for hormonal problems but not for contraception.

Lots of group medical insurances, I've heard, will pay for Viagra but not for b.c. pills.

Talk about blatant sexism! Insurance will pay for meds so men can have erections, but not for contraception for women? If she gets pregnant the insurance company would have to pay out a lot more. Go figure!

[xchrom]

12. do you imagine that liberal men would be against

birth control pills being paid for by insurance companies or part of national health care?

if you feel victimized among fellow liberals -- men or women -- then you must feel REALLY bad.

i think most people here feel that sexual and reproductive health are as much a part of the whole human as anything else.

as a post mortem i would note as a part of my experience -- i went through two chemotherapies and some other extraordinary and severe life threatening medical conditions and had no insurance.
just in case you thought i couldn't relate.

[BiggJawn]

15. did you see post #11?

seems to me some "Liberal" women think Liberal men have a problem with insurance picking up the cost of birth control.

I went back over my post, and HOW you came to the conclussion that I'm feeling "Victimized" by Liberals from that post is totally beyond me.

"I think most people here feel that sexual and reproductive health are as much a part of the whole human as anything else."

I can't agree with you more. HOWEVER, the topic at hand is our oh-so kind and generous Gubbmint deciding what we can and cannot do with our naughty bits, NOT what some "fellow Liberals" might think.

hope your chemos went well.

[xchrom]

17. you have my apologies -- yes, #11

i need eyes on my finger tips.

[BiggJawn]

20. That's be better that fingertips in your eyes...

Pickout Two!


No problem! Been a long day...

[sybylla]

29. No I don't

Did you see my post #16?

The point was, "surprise, we're all in the same crappy fucking boat". Who didn't see that coming? (on edit, just to clarify since so many seem to be flying off the handle here, that who would have thought you'd end up in my crappy fucking boat rather than me ending up in your boat where everything is paid for without discrimination.)

But thanks for asking.

[ebayfool]

40. I know 2 quadriplegics that are prescribed Viagra for aiding general

circulation - it's not just used for impotency. I sure hope these arses on the hill haven't decreed cutting off their coverage just because most people think it's only for 'naughty parts'! Most meds are useful in more than one category ... & I would think there are more justified areas they could drum up the money than cutting a useful medication - like some of those fat tax cuts they handed out.

my 2 cents?!

[MarsThe Cat]

54. it's ususallly the diagnosis that counts- not the specific medication.

at least with medicare.
i assume that viagra will still be covered for purposes other than just impotence.

[MarsThe Cat]

53. last time i checked- there are people who could DIE without insulin...

i never heard of anyone's death being caused by the lack of an erection.

[BiggJawn]

60. True, but I hear it's more like a "living death"

My point was that people who make the "lifestyle" argument over boner pills ought to be able to successfully make the SAME argument over diabetes meds because us type-2's could have PREVENTED our disease by "Lifestyle Choices" we didn't make when we were younger.

Unnerstan?

[MarsThe Cat]

61. but as our esteemed president has shown us-

past imperfect lifestyle choices are in the past once they have been overcome- what we have to do is stop molly-coddling the current miscreants, and get them to change their evil ways.

but seriously- i think that the whole "death" thing would/should ultimately outwiegh the whole 'past lifestyle choices' angle, as far as insulin/blood pressure/cholesteral/etc.etc... meds are concerned.

besides- the graying of the baby boomers is what the pharmaceutical companies have been licking their chops for for years.

and a possible better treatment for impotence- get them hooked up on some opiates, and they won't even notice.

[BiggJawn]

65. Opiates?

Hell, get some good opiates going and you won't notice OR care that the Handmaiden's Tale and 1984 are happening at the same time....

[politicaholic]

6. Obviously they think the divorce rate in this country is just fine. n/t

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. Congressmen experiencing rational decisionmaking longer than 6 hours

should consult their doctors.

[wordpix]

64. lmao

[politicat]

13. About time. When BC and abortion are covered, we can cover Viagra again.

It's not fair that the drugs that help start pregnancies are covered, but drugs that prevent them are not.

I'm sorry for men who can't get erections but there are other activities that are equally pleasurable for both partners if the partners are willing to be creative.

[Carni]

21. OH NO! What will the good people of freerepublic do?

Sorry...that was inappropriate but I cannot wait to hear the CONS screaming over this lol

[bobthedrummer]

23. Oh, oh.

Hmmm...the pharmaceuticals practically own US anyway, hmmm...

[Guava Jelly]

25. I am a 39 year old guy

I recently found out my girl fell out of love with me..
Partially because We never made love.
We are both a little chunky. But the problem was me..
My Penis would become erect yet not enough for insertion and when it did it often lost steam..I didn't want to even try having sex because i was afraid i could not perform.
Well I went to see the doctor and he prescribed me Viagra.
And it worked it is saving my relation ship restoring my confidence.
They say half of males over 40 suffer from some sort of erectile dysfunction at least once in their lives.
Viagra is a miracle drug...
I know it is popular to slam this drug but it has given me back my manhood...

[Straight Shooter]

26. I don't think anyone is slamming the drug per se

What I'm interpreting is that men can obtain Viagra and have it covered by M and M, whereas women have never had coverage for BC pills. (As far as the Ortho pills, those to my knowledge have the worst side effects.)

Speaking from the perspective of a woman, your ability to have an erection or maintain it has nothing to do with your manhood. I'm sorry. I've known males who can keep an erection going for hours and they were nothing but sorry little whiney-ass boys.

Viagra restored your sense of manhood, and that's good. But AFAIC, human beings are much more than genital-transportation devices. Sex is great but it isn't the be-all end-all of a relationship.

:hug:

[Guava Jelly]

28. My girl was on birth control for years

Believe me I been to planned parenthood and seen crazy nuts with signs harassing her ..She was just getting pills.
I wish they were covered as they should be.

As far as
"Speaking from the perspective of a woman, your ability to have an erection or maintain it has nothing to do with your manhood. I'm sorry. I've known males who can keep an erection going for hours and they were nothing but sorry little whiney-ass boys."

I have been with my lady for 17 years I know she loves me I am the only man she has ever been with..Thats not the problem..
Love making is a sharing a expressing of your love.It is vital to the soul the heart.. To me its not just FU_CH ing..

[Straight Shooter]

34. I understand your perspective.

I understand why lovemaking means so much to you. I'm just saying that it isn't the be-all end-all of a relationship. Love can survive and grow stronger without sexual intercourse. It's a real test of the spirit and the heart and it's a test that most of us don't want to endure, but it happens.

I was trying to express that a man's ability to achieve and sustain an erection is not what makes him a "man" in my eyes. It goes far beyond that. However, I do understand and appreciate how intricately a man's sense of masculinity is involved with the ability to "perform," for lack of a better word, sexually. I just wish it weren't that way, because it would make life easier for many men and the women who love them not to have that pressure.

[Guava Jelly]

38. Thank you

"I do understand and appreciate how intricately a man's sense of masculinity is involved with the ability to "perform," for lack of a better word, sexually. I just wish it weren't that way, because it would make life easier for many men and the women who love them not to have that pressure."
Thank you I feel the same way..

[Straight Shooter]

44. You're welcome

:hug:

[MarsThe Cat]

55. lovemaking isn't just about intercourse-

there are LOTS of options that don't involve a stiff dick.

[JudyM]

32. So should taxpayers pay for women to take Viagra too? n/t

[NVMojo]

37. I can respect that but birth control pills can have the same mental

effect on woman who want to enjoy sex and not worry about ending up with a new family member each time. But nooooooooooooo....the right wouldn't want that. My posting of this was more in sarcasm that they wasted time on this when it is obvious they have more important issues on their plate then cutting benefits ....the assholes.

[cmd]

30. When women control the big drug companies

we may get contraceptives paid for by our insurance. The fact that we don't creates some of the rhetoric you are hearing here. It's still a man's world. The reaction you hear is to the years when the men didn't step up to the plate and fight for contraceptives for women.

[KamaAina]

31. Viagra supporters were going to take their case to court

but their attorneys told them the evidence wouldn't hold up :spank:

[KittyWampus]

39. ouch

:spank:

[NVMojo]

45. oh, sheeeeet!!!

:evilgrin:

[Deja Q]

46. OMG, a debate over a medical issue! 5...4...3...

[TygrBright]

48. "Congress Withdraws Viagra Subsidy--GOP Goes Limp"

sorry, couldn't resist....

snarkily,
Bright

[davidinalameda]

50. pretty funny actually!

:rofl:

[Dulcinea]

49. No birth control coverage? Then, no ED drugs either.

If a health plan won't pay for prescription birth control, then it shouldn't pay for ED drugs either. Fair is fair.

However, if one is covered, then the other should be too.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander!

[alfredo]

51. I works as a tree fertilizer, so don't feel bad for Viagra's producers

[superconnected]

56. so viagra didn't hold up.

I know how you guys complaining that you will lose your manhood over this feel. No I'm not a guy, but, I know actresses that to have breast implants or their personal images will be destroyed, and like you they also don't think a partner would want them otherwise. I can honestly say, they really do have nothing else going for them.

And I'll quote something here - "the alpha male is not de-masculinzed by wearing pink, holding a purse or kissing another man." None of this can take away his manhood. Losing his phallas altogether wouldn't take it away either. It's just a quote the actors kept saying when they played gay parts, on a set I was on.

I'm sure it wouldn't mean anything to some of the posters up there who are just positive this is then end of their manhood.

[Blaq Dem]

58. That isn't the only thing that won't be held up.

[gatlingforme]

59. Yeah, right before the discovery of a pill for women

[pinerow]

62. When men get pregnant, birth control pills

and abortions will be enshrined in the Constitution...:sarcasm: