Isn't Viagra an elective prescription?

[cynatnite]

So, it shouldn't be covered in health care reform...right?

[imdjh]

1. I don't know that Part D pays for Viagra. Does it?

And even if it does, Viagra is prescribed for a human malfunction. Pregnancy is not a malfunction.

[Sal Minella]

4. When a 70-year-old guy believes he has a God-given right to drugs

that will make him rut like he's 17 again, it is indeed a malfunction (cerebral in nature) that a pill can't fix!!!

And the idea that it's "normal" for a woman to have pregnancy after pregnancy, year after year, is obscene beyond words.

[ieoeja]

6. So there should be no coverage for pre-natal and maternity care?

How is pre-natal and maternity care any less elective than abortion?

[imdjh]

7. We already had this debate a couple of days ago. nt

[ieoeja]

12. I missed it. Did someone actually argue that maternity care and abortion are NOT equal treatments?

[imdjh]

2. Part D does not pay for Viagra or any ED drugs

[stray cat]

3. no one forces you to get health care so its all elective -so nothing is covered?

now thats reform.

[Swede Atlanta]

5. Demand no ED with taxpayer money

Whether or not it is covered in any of the Medicare supplementals I think we need an amendment that will make clear no ED medications with any federal funds or as part of the Exchange. The senior white-haired Congresscritters and Senators that want to dictate as to abortion should understand that it takes two to tango so we should be sure that no one is up to the job of getting a woman pregnant with federal dollars.

[imdjh]

8. So you want an amendment to not cover it, even though there is...

..... already an amendment to an older bill to not cover it?

[Loki]

9. I thought is was called and erective prescription.

:smoke:

[regnaD kciN]

11. Two simultaneous posts...

It surprises me it took over an hour-and-a-half.

[regnaD kciN]

10. I thought it was an ERECTIVE prescription...

:evilgrin:

[Blue_In_AK]

13. If you missed it, read Shannyn Moore's post today.

It's right on point.

http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/stupaks-flacid-amendment-needs-no-viagra/

[classysassy]

14. That really got

a rise out of me.

[SoCalDem]

15. Technically, it "restores" normal functioning to a body part

while contraception PREVENTS normal functioning of a body part

Of course the aging process usually renders both cases ....moot..

[Berry Cool]

16. Contraception doesn't prevent normal functioning of a body part

unless you think it's "normal" for a woman's female parts to be perpetually harboring a pregnancy.

Or, if you're approaching it from the male side, it doesn't prevent normal functioning unless, to you, the only way a penis can function "normally" in a sex act is if it impregnates every time. I doubt you meant that.

But it's just as silly to imply that for a woman not to get pregnant whenever she has sex is for the "normal functioning of her body parts" to be prevented.

[SoCalDem]

18. not approaching it from a male side (I'm a 60 yr old female)

I approached it from a purely biological angle.

If one accepts that sex is for more than conception, then viagra is restoring the capability for sex.

Women can engage in sex with or without contraception, but without it, their body "may" do the "normal" thing and conceive.. or it may not.

but men who cannot "perform", are incapable of "normal" functioning of their "part"..

[Alameda]

23. ummm, you are definition of sex is genital to genital centric?

Women may be able to engage in sex without contraception, or they may not....I think you may find a study of human sexuality enlightening........women are more than a constantly receptive hole to stick it in. One of the reasons rape is such a horrendous act is because the female body is not always receptive....ready and able....

[Alameda]

17. Old guys with erections on demand isn't normal

...everything has a season.

[SoCalDem]

19. True, but modern medicine intervened

and killer-heart attacks at 50 used to be "normal" too

[cbdo2007]

22. That's all abortion is, right? Restoring a woman's body back to normal.

[Greyskye]

20. Not always. It's not just horny senior citizens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erectile_disfunction

* Neurogenic Disorders (spinal cord and brain injuries, nerve disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.<4>)
* Hormonal Disorders (pituitary gland tumor; low or abnormally high levels of the hormone testosterone).
* Arterial Disorders (peripheral vascular disease, hypertension; reduced blood flow to the penis).
* Cavernosal Disorders (Peyronie's disease.<5>)
* Psychological causes: stress, mental disorders (clinical depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, personality disorders or traits.<6>), psychological problems, negative feelings.<7>
* Surgery (radiation therapy, surgery of the colon, prostate, bladder, or rectum may damage the nerves and blood vessels involved in erection. Prostate and bladder cancer surgery often require removing tissue and nerves surrounding a tumor, which increases the risk for impotence.<8>)
* Ageing.
* Lifestyle: alcohol and drugs, obesity, cigarette smoking (Incidence of impotence is approximately 85 percent higher in male smokers compared to non-smokers<9>., Smoking is a key cause of erectile dysfunction.<10><11> Smoking causes impotence because it promotes arterial narrowing.<12> See also Tobacco and health. )
* Overtraining

* Other disorders.


A few causes of impotence may be iatrogenic (medically caused). Various antihypertensives (medications intended to control high blood pressure) and some drugs that modify central nervous system response may inhibit erection by denying blood supply or by altering nerve activity.

Surgical intervention for a number of different conditions may remove anatomical structures necessary to erection, damage nerves, or impair blood supply. Complete removal of the prostate gland or external beam radiotherapy of the gland are common causes of impotence; both are treatments for prostate cancer. Some studies have shown that male circumcision may result in an increased risk of impotence,<13><14> while others have found no such effect,<15><16><17> and another found the opposite.<18>

Excessive alcohol use has long been recognised as one cause of impotence, leading to the euphemism "brewer's droop," or "whiskey dick;" Shakespeare made light of this phenomenon in Macbeth.

A study in 2002 found that ED can also be associated with bicycling. The number of hours on a bike and/or the pressure on the penis from the saddle of an upright bicycle is directly related to erectile dysfunction.<19>

[me b zola]

21. True. But men should have to prove the indication for which it is being prescribed

When a physician writes an Rx she has to indicate for what it is being prescribed. Clearly any man w/o the medically necessary indications as you have listed should not be prescribed the drug.

[Brigid]

24. No, it shouldn't be.

I have no idea why it is.