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To: Anthony Wong who wrote (56)	5/27/1998 4:34:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 1722

Second Suit Seeks To Force Insurers To Pay For Pfizer's Viagra May 27, 1998 4:08 PM PHILADELPHIA -(Dow Jones)- An unnamed Horsham, Pa., man, who suffers from impotence caused by diabetes, has filed a lawsuit against Prudential HealthCare seeking insurance coverage for Pfizer Inc.'s Viagra. It is the second lawsuit in as many weeks that seeks to force payment for the blockbuster impotence drug. Last week, a man sued Oxford Health Plans Inc. (OXHP) and other unnamed health insurance providers. Prudential HealthCare is a division of Prudential Insurance Co. of America. Lawyers for the latest plaintiff said the man, who had been prescribed Viagra to treat his erectile dysfunction by his physician, was denied coverage by the medical plan. The plantiff's lawyers allege the insurers won't honor claims for the drug because of its popularity. A Prudential (PFE) spokesperson wasn't immediately available for comment. The suit seeks class-action status for other men who are beneficiaries of health insurance through Prudential Insurance and have been denied coverage for the drug. A similiar suit was filed last week against Oxford Health Plans and other insurers. That suit alleges the insurers breached fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security AcCt, which applies to employee benefit plans. Pfizer's Viagra, while revolutionizing the treatment of impotence, has sparked a nationwide debate over what is considered medically necessary during a time when insurance companies are increasingly trying to restrict health-care costs. In addition, many women are resentful at the frenzy over Viagra because for years, the costs of birth control hasn't been covered by traditional health insurance plans. Some health-care plans, such as Aetna/U.S. Healthcare Inc., aren't paying for Viagra pending a decision on whether to cover it. Other plans are limiting the number of pills they will pay for each month, ranging from a little as six to as many as 10 or 15, thereby setting the limit for how many times an impotent man can have intercourse. Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.