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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (657)	8/20/1998 8:53:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1722

Viagra Health Coverage Demanded - (LOS ANGELES) -- Consumer advocates say the refusal by some health insurance companies to pay for the popular impotence pill Viagra is an unlawful attempt to boost profits at the expense of patients' health. The California Department of Corporations... which regulates health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in the state... held public hearings this week in Los Angeles and San Francisco to examine whether insurance companies were breaking the law by not paying for the drug. State law dictates that insurers must provide health coverage to patients ''unhindered by fiscal and administrative management.'' Consumer advocates are concerned that if California regulators allow HMOs to exclude certain expensive drugs like Viagra from coverage based on their cost... it could set a precedent for the rest of the country. The hearings were spurred in large part by the recent refusal by the country's largest nonprofit HMO, Kaiser Permanente, to pay for Viagra. dailynews.yahoo.com