Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5041, the Safe Disposal of Unused Medication Act is a bipartisan, commonsense bill that simply allows trained hospice personnel to dispose of unused medications in a patient's home once the patient has passed away. For patients in hospice care, opioid medication can be effective in alleviating pain associated with the end-of-life care. Unfortunately, current DEA regulations restrict visiting home hospice personnel from disposing of leftover medication after the patient has passed away. As a result, hospice staff must leave behind dangerous medications that have a high risk for diversion or misuse. In my home State of Michigan, we have seen some real challenges with the diversion and misuse of leftover medications that have contributed to the opioid crisis. Earlier this year, the Energy and Commerce Committee heard testimony that just one hospice, caring for 2,000 patients per year, might be leaving behind tens of thousands of pills in need of disposal each year. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in hospice care in 2016. This means hospice workers across the country are potentially leaving huge quantities of unused medication in a home after a patient's death. Mr. Speaker, we must act to curb the diversion of these powerful prescriptions.…”