Fourteen states gave Viagra to offenders

WASHINGTON – Nearly 800 convicted sex offenders in 14 states got Medicaid-funded prescriptions for Viagra and other impotence drugs, according to a survey by the Associated Press.

Most of the cases were in New York, Florida and Texas.

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

New York, acting on a tip, was the first to uncover that Medicaid had paid for Viagra prescriptions for sex offenders. Its report prompted the federal government, which provides states with Medicaid funds, to order states to take steps to stop the coverage for felons.

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.

Some states relied on a 1998 letter from the Clinton administration as a basis for providing coverage, said Matt Salo, a staff member of the National Governors Association. But that letter also said restrictions could be put in place to curb abuse. The letter, sent to then-Govs. Mike Leavitt of Utah and Lawton Chiles of Florida, said Medicaid must cover all FDA-approved drugs with certain exceptions including drugs used for weight control, cosmetics or fertility.

Some states declined to provide the coverage to males. South Dakota considers Viagra and similar drugs to be fertility drugs. Wisconsin officials simply ignored the directive.