| $17 Millions per Annum on Viagra
Date: April 20, 2006
The potency pill Viagra is covered under GM’s labor agreement with Auto Workers, as well as benefit plans for salaried employees and it is costing General Motors $17 millions per year.
GM is the world's largest private purchaser of Viagra providing health care for 1.1 million employees, retirees and dependents. It recently raised the co-pay for erectile dysfunction drugs to $18 under a new agreement with the UAW and has also earned benefits for salaried workers. GM spends almost $5.6 billion each year on health care, and lifestyle drugs are a small fraction of the total medical bill; however every health care expense is added into the cost of every new vehicle. The automaker’s executives estimate health care adds $1,500 to the price of each vehicle but the fact, how much of the premium has caused erectile dysfunction expenses, is not disclosed.
There is a large number of ageing autoworkers in the US which is going to elevate the Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs bill. Many Government and company health plans have already eliminated ED drugs from coverage. Ford and Chrysler will not reveal the amount spent on erectile dysfunction drugs. Let us see if GM is going to revise their union health plan and negotiate eliminating the potency drugs with the UAW considering the increasing retirees on its rolls.
Source: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline |
www.viagracare.com
