Virginia is for lovers, which might not include some state employees anymore.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has cut Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs from the list of medications covered by the state employee health plan. Believe it or not, since Viagra hit the market in the late 1990s, Virginians' tax dollars covered prescriptions for state workers who had, well, trouble in the bedroom.
In December, then-Gov. Tim Kaine proposed that these medications be cut from the list of state-provided drugs in an effort to save the commonwealth millions of dollars a year. In March, the General Assembly restored funding, without an explanation for their decision.
McDonnell has now restored that proposal to Virginia’s two-year budget plan. Nixing Viagra along with non-sedating antihisthamines and creating a 90-day maintenance drug network will save an estimated $7.7 million each year, McDonnell’s press office told News4.
But the kibosh on state-funded Viagra isn’t finalized yet. Virginia’s General Assembly will reconvene for a one-day session Wednesday to vote on all of McDonnell’s budget amendments.
