Your Tax Dollars at Work for Sex Offenders, Part II

In a follow up to the New York State audit on sex offenders receiving prescription drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra comes this revelation from 14 other states.

An Associated Press survey found that nearly 800 convicted sex offenders in 14 states got Medicaid-funded prescriptions for Viagra and other impotence drugs.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, is administered differently in every state. Thus, while some states allowed Medicaid payments for prescriptions for the drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, other states did not.

No, most likely how it happened is there is never any common sense used by law makers when proposing these bills for recipients to receive services. How no one could have thought that this may have been a ramification of the bill is astounding.

The 14 States in question and some 800 sex offenders subsidized with impotence drugs are as follows:

The states that provided registered sex offenders with subsidized impotence drugs are Florida, 218 cases; New York, 198; Texas, 191; New Jersey, 55; Virginia, 52; Missouri, 26; Kansas, 14; Ohio, 13; Michigan, seven; Maine, five; Georgia, three; Montana, three; Alabama, two; and North Dakota, one. That comes to 788 cases.

Others have stated that these changes are not warranted for the minor the amount spent on these medications and number of sex offenders actually provided are so small that these proposals to stop such actions are dumb, irrelevant and nonsensical.

This has to be the dumbest way to solve an incredibly minor problem. Whether states should subsidize medication for erectile dysfunction to begin with is an interesting question but not really at issue here. To stop doing so for the sole purpose of ensuring that sex offenders don’t get it is asinine.

For one thing, those who are willing to commit the most heinous of crimes are surely willing to steal either the drugs or the money to buy the drugs. For another, the percentage of those getting subsidized Viagra who are sex offenders–or for that matter, the percentage of sex offenders fueled by subsidized Viagra–has to be exceedingly small.

I would have to vehemently disagree with that notion. It is about time that this country and our government start taking children’s safety in to account and not the rights of the criminals. The idea that a sex offender can get a prescription drug paid by tax payers to create an even greater threat to society is disgusting. The mere idea that it can occur is sick. We are supposed to be so concerned about crimes against children and preventing sexual predators from exploiting victims, yet we should not do what is obvious? Because a criminal can steal the medication is a reason to let let have it at tax payer’s expense? I am going to have to respectfully disagree with James this time. Personally, sex offender or no sex offender; there is no way Medicaid or Medicare should be covering these types of drugs. That is a waste of resources that could go to much better use. Medicaid & Medicare were not intended to be all things for all people.

However, the prevention of Viagra to a sex offender would seem to be a no brainer. I can surmise that the ACLU will voice their opinion on this as we are some how taking away the right of the sex offender’s “individual rights”. The ACLU’s claim will sound something like this, [they have already been tried for their crimes. They are being discriminated against the right to have Viagra.] Why will it not surprised anyone when this is said? The hell with the fact that it is like giving tax payer subsidized bullets to a killer. No wonder many law makers think they most likely have to stop all Medicaid reimbursement.

Since this issue was brought to the forefront, Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs reimbursement as been stopped in New York State and Virgina. California governor Schwarzenegger’s called for his state agencies to cut off such medication until related legislation is passed.

“Today I am directing all of my agency secretaries to take the necessary steps to stop this dangerous practice in California,” the former bodybuilder and actor said. “Our first responsibility is to keep our citizens safe, and providing these drugs to known sex offenders is a policy that only threatens more innocent people.”

Other posts:
Sex Offenders Receive Viagra on the Tax Payers, Government Reacts
New York, Your Tax Dollars Hard At Work