Melvin's blog

Nshima & Curry

Melvin's  Blog

Nshima & Curry

VIAGRA PUTS MEN'S NEEDS IN LIMELIGHT

Viagra, the potency drug, works wonders -- or so
I've heard. It has enabled many impotent men to
gain and maintain, at least for a short time, some
rather big smiles.

But the blue, diamond-shaped pills seem to have
raised more controversy than anything else.

Some women are blasting insurance companies
for covering the cost of Viagra, but not birth control.
They find this unfair, especially since the men
taking Viagra are creating a greater need for birth
control.

Congress, meanwhile, is trying to prohibit federal and
state governments from using Medicaid to help poor
men buy Viagra. The lawmakers believe in
government-sponsored elections, but not
government-sponsored erections.

There'd be no major controversy, of course, if Viagra
were as cheap as aspirin. But Viagra's maker,
Pfizer Inc., isn't exactly Pfoolish. They know men
would do almost anything to regain their sexual ability,
even max out their credit cards. In fact, I wouldn't be
surprised if Pfizer offers men a new credit card:
Visa-gra. (Slogan: We'll keep your credit limit rising.)

At $10 a pill, Viagra is neither cheap nor expensive. A
tycoon like Donald Trump can afford to take a pill
with every meal, hoping he'll need it. A poor man must
save his pills for just the right moments, when his wife
doesn't have a headache.

But impotency is nothing to joke about, especially if it
affects you. It can result from a number of serious
medical problems. That's why insurance companies
cover Viagra, though some pay for only a limited
number of pills, giving men a monthly allowance of
sex.

The companies don't want men overdosing on Viagra.
They don't want men handing out Viagra to friends
like candy. They don't want jars of Viagra turning up
under the Christmas tree.

Insurance reps must be having some interesting
conversations:

CUSTOMER: "My insurance paid for eight Viagra pills
this month, which I've enjoyed using. But how do I get
through the remaining 29 days?"

REP: "I'm sorry, sir. If you want any more sex, you're
going to have to pay for it yourself."

By paying for Viagra and not birth control, the insurance
companies seem to be telling men to have lots of sex and
women to have lots of children.

But if insurance companies paid for birth control, they'd
probably go broke. So many people use birth control
and so many others need to.

Of course, it can be argued that Medicaid and
insurance shouldn't pay for a drug like Viagra that isn't
a necessity. Do men really NEED to have sex? That's
a good question to pose to a sex expert, such
as Bill Clinton.

REPORTER: "Mr. Clinton, do you believe men need
to have sex?"

CLINTON: "I did not have sexual relations with that
woman."

REPORTER: "No, Mr. Clinton, this question isn't
about you. It's about all men, even George Bush."

CLINTON: "As I said before, I believe that all men,
regardless of race, income and marital status, should
have an equal opportunity to have sex. What good is
Medicaid if it doesn't help poor men have sex? I feel
their pain. Yes, I do."

Send this column to a friend

                                             Don't forget to visit Melvin's funny blog!