Republican bill de-funds Medicare $44 ‘penis pumps’ spending

Congressional Republicans don’t have anything against penis pumps. 

They just don’t want Medicare paying for them unless cheaper prescription drugs are also on the list of taxpayer-funded therapies for men with problems they usually attribute to ‘a friend.’

As part of a plan to pay for a new initiative aimed at helping disabled Americans save tax-free for education, housing and transportation costs, a House bill unveiled Tuesday eliminates $444 million in Medicare funding for the ‘vacuum erection systems.’

IT’S FOR A FRIEND: Medical-equipment versions of ‘penis pumps,’ devices prescribed for men who can’t get erections, are covered under Medicare to the tune of $44 MILLION per year

Florida Rep. Ander Crenshaw, the bill’s sponsor, said it will help ‘millions of Americans’

Washington Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (right) said she supports the ABLE Act’s tax advantages for disabled Americans because of her son Cole (center), who was born with Down Syndrome

The larger legislation, called the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, will allow states to set up and manage specialized savings accounts for Americans with disabilities, opening the door for them to receive tax breaks and access to Medicare entitlements currently out of their reach.

Republicans in the House propose to pay for it with a series of budget ‘offsets’ including the congressional erection maneuver – which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will save the government nearly a half-million dollars over ten years beginning in 2015.

A House Ways and Means Committee report issued Tuesday explains that the pumps would be de-funded ‘until such time that Medicare covers erectile dysfunction drugs under Medicare Part D.’

‘When the Part D program was created in 2003, it established a statutory prohibition on erectile dysfunction drugs,’ committee staff added.

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Of the nine offsets added to the bill this week, the $44 million-per-year savings figure is the largest. Other measures increase fuel taxes for cargo ships operating on U.S. inland waterways and an IRS proposal that will index tax-nonpayment penalties for inflation – driving up the fines over time.

The larger point of the ABLE Act, however, is to give disabled people access to tax write-offs that others take for granted – including the ability to earn tax-free interest in the way parents with ‘Section 529′ plans can while saving for their childrens’ college tuition.

House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that ‘under the status quo, which dates back to 1974, people with disabilities can only save $2,000 in assets’ before taxes kick in.’

‘This makes it nearly impossible for them to plan for the future just as any family would.’ 

SAVINGS: Disabled Americans will be able to earn tax-free interest on savings for education, transportation, housing and other expenses under the ABLE Act

THE LITTLE PILL THAT COULD: Congressmen and women want Medicare to fund cheaper drugs like Viagra (pictured) and Levitra instead of assuming expensive appliances are the only option

SERIOUS SUBJECT: House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that tax rules for disabled Americans’ savings date back to 1974 and tax-free interest is capped at $2,000 of savings

Florida Republican Rep. Ander Crenshaw added that ‘with ABLE in place, individuals with disabilities would no longer have to stand by and watch others use Internal Revenue Service-sanctioned tools to lay the groundwork for 레비트라부작용 a brighter future,’

Crenshaw, who first proposed the law, predicted it will help ‘millions of Americans.’

Congress seems united on the measure, with more co-sponsors of both parties in bouth chambers of Congress than any other pending legislation. A whopping 380 House members support it, along with 74 senators.

One of those ABLE Act cheerleaders is Washington Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, whose seven-year-old son Cole was born with Down syndrome.

‘Cole has helped me understand how too many times federal policies limit – not expand – opportunities for those with disabilities,’ Rodgers said Tuesday.

Read more:

Summary of H.R. 647, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014