Medicaid paid for Utah offenders' drugs

A health department review has revealed that eight registered sex offenders in Utah have used their Medicaid benefits in the past year to receive government-funded erectile dysfunction medication.

Going back even further than that, the number grows to 24 individuals who have taken advantage of the loophole since July 1, 1999 — making for a grand total of 148 prescriptions, or 740 pills, for which sex offenders have received reimbursement, according to the state Department of Health.

The current offenders' prescriptions have since been discontinued, and a policy put in place to prevent prescriptions for Viagra, or any other impotence treatment drug, from being approved for people previously convicted of a sex crime.

"When we first found out about this . . . we suspected that there would be some here in Utah," said health department spokesman Steve McDonald. "We're glad that it's not more than that, and feel that these individuals shouldn't be getting these prescriptions paid by Medicaid."

The health department undertook its review after it was discovered that nearly 200 high-risk sex offenders in New York had received Viagra paid for by Medicaid. The May audit by the New York state comptroller's office prompted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to encourage states to restrict coverage of such medications for people who had been convicted of a sex offense.

Even before the federal directive, McDonald said the state's review was "definitely a high priority. We wanted to act fast and cancel any of these prescriptions immediately."

Subsequent audits completed in the wake of the New York findings revealed that more than 800 sex offenders in 14 states have been reimbursed by Medicaid for impotence-related medication.

According to the state's audit, eight individuals who are listed on the sex offender registry have received a prescription for an erectile dysfunction drug since July 1, 2004, McDonald said. Utah has approximately 6,500 registered sex offenders, and, in the past year, there have been 197,000 Medicaid recipients in the state, he said.

Last month, Medicaid covered 387 prescriptions for impotence-related medication, according to McDonald.