Erectile Dysfunction Drug May Be Cost-Effective, But Should Health Insurance Pay for It?
In a new study using a decision analysis model, the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil (Viagra), compared with no treatment, was as cost-effective as kidney dialysis, cholesterol lowering medication or coronary artery bypass surgery (Article, p. 933). An editorial asks, when 1 in 5 Americans are not covered by health insurance, should health insurance, originally developed to minimize the financial burden of serious illness, pay for lifestyle enhancements like treatment for erectile dysfunction? (Editorial, p. 994.)
Also in the June 20 Annals of Internal Medicine:
Annals of Internal Medicine is published by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM), an organization of more than 115,000 physicians trained in internal medicine. The following highlights are not intended to substitute for articles as sources of information. For an embargoed fax of an article, call 1-800-523-1546, ext. 2656 or 215-351-2656. Full content of the issue will be available on the Internet at http://www.acponline.org on June 20, 2000.
Annals of Internal Medicine