Posted on 05/23/2005 3:17:23 PM PDT by Feiny
New York's comptroller urged the nation's top health official Sunday to ban high-risk sex offenders and convicted rapists from receiving Viagra paid for by Medicaid.
"Federal, state and local reimbursement for the cost of erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders raises serious policy considerations and has the potential to place the public at risk," Comptroller Alan Hevesi wrote Michael Leavitt, secretary of Health and Human Services.
"I am asking that you take immediate action to ensure that sex offenders do not receive erectile dysfunction medication paid for by the taxpayers. I urge you to take administrative action to remedy the situation or draft an amendment to the underlying statute as appropriate," Hevesi wrote.
Hevesi said his office found that from January 1, 2000, through March 31, 2005, 198 Level 3 sex offenders received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after being convicted of a sex offense. Sex offenders are those convicted of crimes such as rape, sexual abuse, and sexual conduct against a child.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
make that anyone
Is there a constitutional right to a hard-on?
If there ain't, there should be.
But, will that lead to govt. paid hookers?
(insert joke here)
Almost all drugs should be withheld from non-paying felons IMO.
The prescription drugs should be limited in anyway unless the person is paying for them.
Nobody has the right to be a ward of the state after 18 as far as I am concerned.
Well the pursuit of Happiness is in the Declaration of Independence.
-"I am asking that you take immediate action to ensure that sex offenders do not receive erectile dysfunction medication paid for by the taxpayers. I urge you..."-
"...to refer them to retail outlets where they can purchase these drugs on their own!"
HELLLLLOOOOOO! High-risk sex offenders should NOT be set loose on the public AT ALL. DUH. DUH. DOUBLE-DUH.
"why are we paying for anyone to get this drug?"
Uh, I believe the master clinton was on watch then(1998) and probably thought iy was a necessity that any criminal have access to this drug just as he probably had.
No one should get things like this from Medicaid.
If a penis is involved in any way, the law must affirm. You're not seeing half the interest in free love for nuns, same-sex marriage for women, or lesbian priests -- they don't have the right sexual equipment to interest the lawmakers.
If the day ever comes when both church and state can stop their obsessive focus on the penis, perhaps we will go back to getting some actual work done in the world.
This Viagra crap is getting to be too much. Commercials all over the television , Spam in my email. now Medicare is paying for it? If an oldster cant afford his own Viagra he shoudl put it back in his pants and forget about it.
Yeah, forget about the necessities like blood pressure medication, cholesterol lowering statins....what they need is more viagra!!!
How long before prisoners doing time on weapons charges start getting fresh ammo paid for by the U.S. Military?
How long before those few folks who actually end up in jail for drunk driving start getting booze on the "big house"?
How long before imprisoned spammers and hackers start getting new computers courtesy of Uncle Sam?
Oh, but us law-abiding folks; no gracy for us! Oh no. We pay full price for all of it; cash on the barrel head.
And how.
Considering they are sex offenders, I would object if they paid for the medication themselves.
Coming off a 5 year contract to rewrite the NYS Medicaid computer systems, I believe that most NY Medicaid recipients (excuse me, "clients") have almost unlimited access to viagra.
(Meanwhile, the rest of the us poor taxpayers have to beg their physicians for a 3 month prescription for 6 of the little blue tabs.)
The NYS Medicaid funds come from Federal, State and local/county taxes - in sort of a 50 - 35 - 15% arrangement.
And, finally, you have to ask yourself - are these the people we want reproducing?
These sex offenders should be cut off pronto...
(And I don't mean Viagra ;)
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