Erectile dysfunction drugs are not yet covered under most Medicare Part D policies. However, the availability of generic equivalents of Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra offers ways to lower the cost of treating your ED symptoms.
Medicare Part D coverage for prescription drugs has been a very welcome benefit for older Americans struggling with the high costs of medications. However, Part D doesn’t cover all drugs used widely by older Americans. One of the categories largely neglected is erectile dysfunction drugs, such as Viagra.
Because Part D coverage is provided through private insurance companies, the medications actually covered are specified in each of those insurer’s formularies. Although there may be rare exceptions, most of those formularies cover neither brand-name nor generic formulations of ED medications.
Generic Revatio Covered
Some insurers include 20-milligram sildenafil citrate in their formularies. Although sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra, in that specific dosage, it is the generic version of Revatio, a drug prescribed to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of high blood pressure targeting the lungs.
While some doctors may prescribe this lower-dose version of sildenafil to help their patients fight ED, it is considered an off-label use of the medication. And because 50 milligrams is the recommended starting dose of Viagra or sildenafil citrate for ED treatment, it would take two or three 20-milligram tablets to approximate this dose.
Save by Choosing Generics
Thankfully, the arrival of generic alternatives to ED drugs offers a less expensive alternative to the relatively high prices still being charged for brand-name Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis. Although these generics are not yet covered under Part D, their lower prices make them more widely available than was the case only a year or so ago.
The first generic alternatives to Viagra (sildenafil citrate) hit the market in December 2017. They were followed by a generic version of Cialis (tadalafil), introduced in October 2018, which was followed a month or so later by vardenafil hydrochloride, the generic equivalent of Levitra.
| ED MEDICATION | 10 BRAND-NAME TABLETS | PRICE PER RSD** | 10 GENERIC TABLETS | PRICE PER RSD** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIAGRA (SILDENAFIL) 100-MG | $835.04 | $41.75 | $361.73 | $18.09 |
| CIALIS (TADALAFIL) 20-MG | $759.85 | $37.99 | $527.80 | $26.39 |
| LEVITRA (VARDENAFIL) 20-MG | $607.43 | $30.37 | $532.35 | $26.62 |
**Recommended Starting Dose
As you can see from the accompanying table (using currently posted prices at eDrugstore.com), each of these generics is significantly less expensive than the brand-name drug it copies. For example, a 50-milligram dose of sildenafil citrate is priced nearly $24 lower than the same-size dose of brand-name Viagra.
Because the generic equivalents of Cialis and Levitra are more recent additions to the marketplace, the savings is not yet as great as it is for sildenafil citrate, but it’s still significant. A 10-milligram dose of tadalafil is $26.39, more than $11 cheaper than its brand-name equivalent. The savings between generic and brand-name Levitra is somewhat less dramatic, but noteworthy nonetheless.
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Cost-conscious shoppers can often save both time and money by ordering their ED drugs from longtime online facilitator eDrugstore.com. The Arizona-based retailer sells only FDA-approved medications, including a full range of ED drugs, including both brand-name and generic products. If you have a doctor’s prescription, you can fax it or scan and email it along with your order. If you don’t yet have a prescription, eDrugstore can arrange a complimentary online consultation with a licensed U.S. physician who can authorize a prescription if appropriate. This can represent a significant savings. To learn more, visit eDrugstore’s Erectile Dysfunction page.
