LANSING – A western Michigan lawmaker wants to prohibit the state from allowing Medicaid to cover the cost of medication for erectile dysfunction, even though the state already bans such coverage.

Rep. Glenn Steil Jr., R-Cascade, who wrote the bill, said the legislation would cut back on state costs for the $8 billion-a-year Medicaid program.

Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for state residents with limited or no income. Under current law, the Department of Community Health, which regulates Medicaid, must cover all prescribed drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

“There’s bigger medical issues we need money for,” Steil said. “Giving people the option of having sex is not a serious medical issue.”

But James McCurtis, communications director at the Department of Community Health, questioned why a bill is in the works to ban something that the department already doesn’t cover.

“We won’t cover erectile dysfunction drugs regardless of legislation,” McCurtis said.

Steil acknowledged current state policy – but not law – already excludes such popular erectile dysfunction medications as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis.

Under his legislation, it would become illegal for the department to cover the medications. However, the bill wouldn’t bar private insurers from covering those drugs.

“There’s no reason for the government to fund something that is essentially a pleasure drug,” Steil said. “It’s just for people who want to have sex.”

But Rick Chambers, media relations director at Pfizer Inc. in Ann Arbor, said such drugs should be covered because erectile dysfunction is a recognized medical condition “typically linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

Pfizer manufactures the popular erectile dysfunction medication, Viagra.

“We believe people should have access to all medicines,” he said. “There is a serious difficulty erectile dysfunction brings to people.”

Medicaid covers eligible individuals until age 19. After that age, beneficiaries are entitled to Medicaid coverage only if they have eligible children, McCurtis said.

Given that Medicaid is generally for young people, there’s a question of why recipients would want a medication intended for older men.

“You’d be surprised how many young people try to get erectile dysfunction drugs covered by their Medicaid,” McCurtis said.

McCurtis offered no figures on the number of recipients who have attempted to get erectile dysfunction medications covered.

McCurtis said that although erectile dysfunction drugs aren’t covered for erectile dysfunction, they can be covered for other purposes, like post-surgery blood pressure, for example.

Medicaid policy differs for every state, but Michigan is fairly generous as far as drug coverage goes, said Dave Fox, director of public relations at Michigan State Medical Society.

“Some states don’t even cover drugs,” Fox said.