Most Medicare prescription drug plans in 2007 will not cover erectile dysfunction treatments such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Many plans covered the treatments this year.
According to the Post-Dispatch, "[m]any beneficiaries are learning of the change this week as they receive materials explaining next year's benefits."
Most plans will continue to cover ED drugs if they are prescribed to treat medical conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, rather than for ED.
Many of the insurers who sponsor Medicare drug plans say they support the change, which comes after a similar policy was implemented last year by Medicaid.
UnitedHealthcare will market one Medicare drug plan that covers ED drugs, but its other plans will not cover the treatments. Charles Willey -- CEO of Essence, which markets Medicare Advantage plans -- said paying for ED treatments might not be the best use of health care expenditures, adding, "We have to decide what our priorities are" (Feldstein, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/14).