Legislative Action?

[k.b.marino]

Is anyone else out there upset because insurance companies can deny treatment for ED but pay for breast reconstruction. I totally understand why a woman would choose reconstruction. So why don't we men have equal access to penile implants? I have been in touch with congressman Steven LaTourette's office regarding my surgery being denied. His assistant thinks that we may be able to get a piece of legislation similar to the Womens' Health and Cancer Rights act of 1998 through. It will take a lot of public education and awareness. Think Susan G. Komen. That means we men and our spouses need to talk to people and educate them to the importance of healthy, normal sex lives for men with chronic illnesses like diabetes and devastating illnesses like prostate cancer. We should have the right to have normal functional bodies whenever possible. It is about living well with a disease, just like women choosing reconstruction after breast cancer.

[antelope]

Fact of Life: the health insurance industry will be happy to pay for any procedure--penile implants, breast implants, plastic surgery--you want as long as they can raise everyone's premium to pay for it. They're not "denying" the procedure. The procedure is not covered. If we all want it covered, then we can all pay a higher premium. It's all about the math.

[dtwarren1942]

We are already paying higher premiums for breast reconstruction; may as well pay higher premiums for ED treatments. If the higher premium is spread out over the entire population, than how much higher will it be. Certainly less than the individual cost for ED treatments. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.

[antelope]

I do not disagree at all. Just saying that the health insurance industry is not the villain. And no I don't sell health insurance.

G
BR

[asmith]

Medicare covers IPP surgery, subject to your annual deductible and any related co-pay. That's an incredibly good benefit for men on Medicare. I'm surprised that so few men age 65+ do not avail themselves of the IPP, since it is a covered procedure under Medicare.

BTW, I am well under age 65 and my insurance company paid $33K net for the IPP procedure. Some policies cover ED treatment, others do not. It's highly dependent on the quality of benefits afforded under the policy.

[antelope]

Yep, exactly.

[k.b.marino]

The bitch of it in my case is that I work for the second
largest healthcare system in Cleveland, Ohio. Not the Cleveland
Clinic by the way. Our insurance sucks. The hospital I work for
is "self-funded.". That means that a group of overpaid pricks in Human
Resources who get great healthcare because they are doctors get to
decide what will be covered for us working stiffs or not stiffs.
That's why we either need a collective bargaining agreement
or legislative assistance to fix the problem.

[buckster]

I'm in the same boat. Regence Blue Cross refuses to cover any ED treatment. NO pills, injections, pumps, implants or anything to do with ED treatment. I understand somewhat because of the unknown mental issues associated with ED. Plus for so many years penis enlargement and enhancement has been connected with porn. They use these excuses to completely exclude ED treatment. But, when there is a known medically diagnosed cause like PCa it absolutely should be part of the treatment. If you lose your leg to diabetes you certainly will get a prosthetic replacement. Is it really so different?

[k.b.marino]

Hey Buckster, Dr. Drogo Montague at the Cleveland
Clinic can give you an AMS 700 LGX for $12,000.
I'm getting mine on June 28th. Got a loan through
the bank that Clinic uses for the entire cost of the job. Contact
me if you want more info. That goes for anybody
else in the same boat. Cleveland is actually a pretty
nice town.

[buckster]

That's crazy! How can the cost vary that much? Is this for anyone or is some special program for uninsured or low income? This is a great example of how our health care system is completely broken. My uro here in Oregon gave me a quote of $30-35K with a possible 20% discount if I paid cash up front. The cost of the device alone was $9-15k depending which one I wanted. This quote was based on doing the surgery in an outpatient clinic. If I wanted to use the hospital it would be even higher.
I would have to plan a medical vacation but that would still be much less expensive. There was a post earlier this month titled Medical tourism where he was looking into a Dr. in Mexico that would do it for $11k. I would much rather stay in the country. Please keep us informed of your progress. I’ll be watching very closely. Thanks