For many people, the cost of managing diabetes is significant. Requiring patients to purchase a specialty sharps disposal containers every time sharps are purchased can cost up to $10 a month, isn’t covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurers, and is environmentally wasteful.
We fully believe that people with diabetes and others with chronic conditions are the ones most likely to be responsible when it comes to disposing sharps. There are several inexpensive sharp containment options that are already approved by the FDA, EPA, the American Diabetes Association, and many state and local health departments. Requiring people with diabetes to buy sharps disposal containers with every sharps purchase is an undue financial burden, not to mention environmentally wasteful. We recommend that states maintain current disposal regulations, and continue to educate people with diabetes about safe sharps disposal.
We were strongly opposed to California bill AB1893, which would require diabetes patients to require the purchase of sharps disposal containers every time they purchased needles or lancets. See the press release and our letter to Chairman Pan of the California Assembly Committee on Health.
