Penis Pumps Cost Gov't $172M

A report from the Department of Health and Human Services said the government’s Medicare program spent $172.4 million on 474,000 claims for vacuum erection systems (VES) for seniors from 2006 to 2011. The yearly claims nearly doubled in cost from $20.6 million in 2006 to $38 million in 2011. If the government had adjusted its payments to what non-Medicare payers spend on penis pumps, the government would have saved about $14.4 million each year. “To those seniors who really do want one, just buy it yourself—you don’t need to send the bill to your fellow Americans,” said Ben Domenech of the Heartland Institute.