State says it paid for Viagra medication for sex offenders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state acknowledged Wednesday that it paid for Viagra and similar prescription medications for 26 registered sex offenders in the past year, costing the state and federal governments $7,060.

The Department of Social Services said the state Medicaid program no longer will cover prescriptions for erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders.

That decision comes after the New York comptroller's office said earlier this week that audits from 2000 through March found 198 sex offenders in that state received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after their convictions.

In the fallout, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began notifying all 50 states that they don't have to offer Medicaid-funded Viagra to sex offenders.

Missouri changed its policy Tuesday, once it had approval from the federal government, spokeswoman Deborah Scott said.

"Taxpayers' dollars should never be used to purchase sexual performance drugs for known sex offenders," Gov. Matt Blunt said in a statement.

Current prescriptions for impotence drugs won't be refilled, and new Medicaid prescriptions for such drugs will be checked against the sex offender registry, starting immediately, the agency said.

Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield, helped lead the charge this spring to curb growth in the state's Medicaid program, eliminating coverage for about 90,000 of the 1 million people enrolled in the government health care plan for the poor.

Purgason said Wednesday that he wasn't surprised to hear about the Viagra coverage for sex offenders. He said a state commission set to begin work later this year would be looking for similar problems.

"This just shows the need for it. A year ago, how many people knew this was happening, and all of a sudden there's a revelation this was happening. How many other things like this are out there?" he said. "We're going to proceed and go in and redesign the Medicaid system so these things don't happen."

Of the total $7,060 in Medicaid funds spent on erectile medications for sex offenders in Missouri, $1,977 came from state funds and the rest was federal money.

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On the Net:

Social Services: http://www.dss.mo.gov

Legislature: http://www.moga.mo.gov