Go Uninon! Milwaukee teachers fight for Viagra drug coverage (legal, drugs, insurance)

[Rick Roma]

Milwaukee teachers fight for Viagra drug coverage - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100806/ap_on_re_us/us_milwaukee_teachers_viagra - broken link)

[Dockside]

A two year legal campaign? That can't be cheap. All those union dues...IMO some unions are just tone deaf to the current hardening of public attitudes towards the unions.

[lifelongMOgal]

Because Viagra is so much more important than teaching children the basics of reading writing, arithmatic and science.

[cokatie]

Sadly, yet another nail in the coffin of the unions.

[pommysmommy]

Just goes to show how the unions serve no true purpose now.

[meson]

Originally Posted by cokatie

Sadly, yet another nail in the coffin of the unions.

But why, what's wrong with drug coverage for a drug used to control Pulmonary hypertension?

[Memphis1979]

I'm torn here.

On one hand, I don't see that this is a "necessary" drug for individuals over a certain age, yet I don't want to discriminate against anyone. Who am I to say, no sex for you.

On the other hand, I know there are 30 and 40 year old teachers who experience ED, and need this drug to really have a happy and fulfilled life. Why shouldn't insurance pay for that, after all, its a normal biological function of the human body.

If happiness isn't a "needed" problem that insurance should have to pay for, then whats with all of the anti depressants, and mental drugs that are out there now.

[Bulldogdad]

Yeah I guess having a rock hard erection is more important to the same people who complain about firing teachers and building swimming pools as others have pointed out in another thread. Now the teachers union can say the "Right wing-nut conservatives got their tax cuts and all I got was this Hard-on"

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by meson

But why, what's wrong with drug coverage for a drug used to control Pulmonary hypertension?

That is a stretch.
(pun intended)

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by meson

Your ignorance of the history of Viagra is quite clear....

Don't insult me; you know me not. Your ignorance of the TOS and personal attacks is quite clear.

From the article:

The filing is the latest in a two-year legal campaign in which the union has argued, so far unsuccessfully, that the board's policy of excluding [COLOR=#366388 !important][COLOR=#366388 !important]erectile [COLOR=#366388 !important]dysfunction [/color][COLOR=#366388 !important]drugs[/color][/color][/color] discriminates against male employees. The union says Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and others are necessary treatment for "an exclusively gender-related condition."

The condition being addressed by the union is not pulmonary hypertension but erectile dysfuntion. Usually when insurance denies coverage it looks at the condition being treated and not exclusively at the drug name.