OBJECTIVES : Erectile dysfunction (ED) negatively impacts the quality of life and work productivity. Providing male employees access to effective ED treatments could improve patient outcomes, yet several employer-sponsored health insurance (ESHI) plans exclude the treatments – especially penile prosthesis (PP). This analysis estimates the number of men suffering from ED who are covered by ESHI plans which exclude PP and estimates the financial impact of work productivity loss due to ED on employers.

METHODS : The 2009-2018 IBM^® MarketScan^® Commercial data was analyzed to determine the prevalence of ED among men with ESHI. The 2019 American Community Survey and published literature were then used to estimate the number of ED men with ESHI affected by benefit exclusion of PP in 2019. The financial impact on employers of work productivity loss due to ED was calculated by converting additional work impairment of ED versus non-ED men into the 2019 US dollar using the 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. Monte Carlo simulations with 10,000 simulated scenarios were performed to account for the variability of the work impairment and mean hourly wage of US workers.

RESULTS : The prevalence of ED among men with ESHI increased from 1.7% in men aged 18-25 years to 29.4% in men aged 55-64 years. An estimate of 1,280,978 ED men covered by ESHI in 2019 were affected by benefit exclusion for PP. A male with ED had estimated additional 283 hours/year of work impairment compared to a non-ED male, resulting in an annual indirect cost of $7,270 to the employer. The average annual indirect cost of additional work impairment due to ED from Monte Carlo simulations was $7,224.

CONCLUSIONS : The financial impact on employers of work productivity loss due to ED was substantial. Providing male employees access to effective ED treatments may reduce the burden to ED men and their employers.