On June 19, 2009, a bill (s.1312 Medicare Safe Needle Disposal Coverage Act of 2009) sponsored by John Isakson (R-GA) and Sen. Edward Kaufman (D-DE) was introduced and forwarded to committee. Following is the official summary of the bill:
“6/19/2009–Introduced.
Medicare Safe Needle Disposal Coverage Act of 2009 – Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover as a part D drug any devices approved for home use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the safe and effective containment, removal, decontamination, and disposal of home-generated needles, syringes, and other sharps through a sharps container, decontamination/destructive device, or sharps-by-mail program or similar program.”
To track activity on this bill go to https://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1312/show. To learn more about safe disposal of needles (sharps), go to https://www.safeneedledisposal.org.