here's a radical idea...

[lagilman]

How about a tax on Viagra/Levitra to help pay for birth control?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Tee. Applause.

[lagilman]

It just kind of makes sense, doesn't it? If you're willing to pay to get it up, why not support the ability to have a place to put it safely? And for those who say that women shouldn't be having sex without wanting children, I say that maybe if God didn't want you to have children s/he would make it impossible for you to...

oh. *looks groin-ward* Ooops. So much for your argument, huh dude?

[http://users.livejournal.com/tesserae_/]

And then we could get it bannned fromk Federal funding on those grounds, and make insurance companies that want to offer dick-pill coverage jump through enough hopps that they won't, and... yeah. I am with you on this!

[ubiquitous-a.livejournal.com]

Better yet....don't ban it of its own accord. Tie ED meds directly to female contraception options. If that goes down, they all go down together.

Okay, that sounded different in my head. O_o

[cypherindigo.livejournal.com]

I remember this quote from a very long time ago.

"If men gave birth, abortion would be a sacrament."

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

+Cialis

[terri-osborne.livejournal.com]

You know I'm with you on this.

[jaylake.livejournal.com]

For whatever it's worth, I've required Viagra since my colon cancer surgery in 2008 disturbed my vagus nerve, and disrupted my erectile function ever since. Chemotherapy only made the situation far worse, though I seem to have largely recovered from those effects.

My insurance company covers Viagra, but on a prescription tier unlike any of my other extensive pharmacopia, so my co-pay of $50 for the blue pill is effectively $10 per pill (<$15 out of pocket) for a monthly limit of five pills. Mind you, my co-pay on my $10,000 per dose Avastin wasn't that high.

Insurance companies aren't magically sprinkling free sex pills on men, in other words. At least not in my experience. And I've appealed the 5-pill monthly limit all the way to the top.

Also for whatever it's worth, I've had a vasectomy. My interest in penetrative sex is in no wise equivalent to my potential fathering of children.

Let me be clear, I'm not whining. I'm not pretending this is an equivalent issue to birth control coverage. I'm just pointing out the reality of Viagra coverage/availability isn't so simple for those of us who need it.

[lagilman]

Jay --

Nowhere was it suggested that they were "magically sprinkling' anything for free.

FYI, the Pill is used for a lot more than "merely" birth control, including regulating menstrual pain so severe it keeps women bedridden every month. But getting it covered by our health insurance is still subject to those same restrictions and limitations that men don't seem to face when being put on ED medication, and then we're told that we don't 'deserve" to have access because other things are more important than our health.


So I stand by my comment.

[jaylake.livejournal.com]

I am pretty clear on the value of the Pill, and birth control in general. We're 95%+ on the same side here.

Like I said, I'm not trying to draw an equivalency between my issues with Viagra and the issues many women experience having access to birth control. I'm merely pointing that men being put on ED medication (or at least this man) face restrictions and limitations that apply to literally no other medical treatment I have ever required, including $100,000s of cancer treatments. The inherent judgementalism about sexual behavior, sexual health and the role of sexuality in a healthy lifestyle does sometimes spill over to the male side of the aisle.

[lagilman]

Your use of "magically sprinkling free sex pills" was then, I think, ill-advised, as nowhere was that said or even implied, and was therefore needlessly aggressive.

Words matter. Especially when you're coming in, as you say, from a position of inherent benefit.

[jaylake.livejournal.com]

I apologize. I was reacting emotionally and unthinkingly to some of the comment stream here, and that was wrong of me.

[firynze.livejournal.com]

I would totally support this plan.

[ubiquitous-a.livejournal.com]

I approve of this plan. However, as an alternate option, I also propose that every prescription must come with a supply of the corresponding birth control option (i.e. Viagra pills sold with a box of condoms, etc.). It's a two-fer, really. ;p

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

I'd vote for that.}:P

LIKE

[chibiaingeal.livejournal.com]

I think that is a very good idea.