Survey: Most favor birth-control coverage

ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 4 (UPI) -- Most U.S. adults favor birth control, in-vitro fertilization, erectile-dysfunction drugs and weight-loss programs paid via health insurance, finds a survey.

However, support for coverage diminishes for treatments that primarily affect people's personal appearance, such as drugs to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, plastic surgery to help people look younger and growth hormones to help children grow taller, according to the survey by Harris Interactive for The Wall Street Journal Online's health-industry edition.

Eighty-one percent support the health insurance covering medical treatments such as birth-control pills, 63 percent support coverage for in-vitro fertilization, 65 percent favor coverage of drugs that improve memory, 59 percent support coverage for weight-loss drugs and 50 percent support coverage for drugs to treat erectile or other sexual dysfunction.

Only one in five adults believes that drugs to help keep people stay awake should be covered by health insurance and 13 percent support insurance coverage for drugs to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, according to the survey of 2,402 adults.