No more Viagra: Rising costs might cost Cincinnati retirees coverage for impotence drugs

[TexasTowelie]

Cincinnati's cost cutting is about to get personal for retirees who use their city insurance for Viagra and other drugs that treat impotence.

City Manager Patrick Duhaney sent a memo to City Council last week outlining his plan to eliminate most coverage for erectile dysfunction medication, a move he said would save Cincinnati's retirement system about $425,000 a year.

Current city employees lost their Viagra and Cialis coverage last year in a similar money-saving measure.

In his memo, Duhaney said ending such coverage is necessary because of "the challenges of a constantly changing health care industry and the dynamics of persistent cost increases."

Read more: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/06/09/no-more-viagra-cincinnati-may-end-coverage-retirees-ed-pills/1381375001/

[dawg day]

1. I wonder if they cover contraception and abortion--

Both of which actually will save money for the city government.

$425K a year, just for retirees' Viagra? Good grief, how often do these guys want to get it up?

[unc70]

2. ED drugs needed regularly following prostate cancer surgery

Following removal of a cancerous prostate, treatment with ED drugs is required to avoid further complications. Unfortunately, most people have opinions as you expressed and many insurance plans ban all ED drugs under all circumstances. Doesn't even count towards your out-of-pocket deductible. Tough on Medicare.

[Ohiogal]

3. On the other hand

Birth control pills are used for reasons other than contraception, too, but extremists want to ban coverage of those altogether, as well.

Can't these kind of decisions be made on a case-by-case basis?

[dawg day]

6. All that money goes to pay for "further complications" from prostate surgery?

Maybe then carve out an exception for those who had that surgery.
And let's call unwanted pregnancy a "complication" of denying people contraception.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Well, it's refreshing to see

that ageism here on DU isn't limited only to one's choice of presidential candidate.

[dawg day]

7. Denial of payment for reproductive medication is ageist then too--

As it directly targets women between 12 and 50. Is ageism that targets the young okay?

(BTW, I'm old enough to know what life was like before medical contraception.)

[customerserviceguy]

10. No ageism is OK n/t

[customerserviceguy]

4. Name brand ED drugs

have been skyrocketing in price for the last few years, and for no good reason other than simple greed. Check a Canadian pharmacy website (like CanadianPharmacyKing, for example) if you want to see how much cheaper generics are than these over-advertised name brands.

[unc70]

8. Generics also available in US

Duke Cancer, where I was treated ten years ago, maintains list of compounding pharmacies providing generic.

[customerserviceguy]

9. And I've compared prices

Canadian pharmacy generics are generally cheaper than generics found in the US. Big Pharma is simply asking to be nationalized.

[unc70]

11. FYI. Generic Cialis daily $190/90

That is about as good as I have found. Shipping and hassles makes domestic mail order my choice.

[customerserviceguy]

12. At the aforementioned

Canadian Pharmacy King, there's a generic tadalafil that goes for just under $100 for a 90 day supply. It only takes about three weeks to get things from a Canadian pharmacy, I think most of them use the same shipping company in Singapore.