Congress approves bill designed to protect patients from stolen medical products

Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, some Senate conservatives are considering taking steps to block a deal to avert the automatic cuts called for under sequester.

CQ HealthBeat: Theft Of Drugs, Other Products Targeted In Cleared Bill
Legislation designed to deter the theft of medical products that have not reached store shelves is headed to the president's desk after clearing Congress over the weekend. The measure is part of a larger government effort to protect patients from stolen medical products that may have been tampered with or handled improperly before they are sold on the market. Supporters say it can be nearly impossible for health care professions to identify those products, posing a threat to public health, and that their theft can result in significant losses for manufacturers (Attias, 9/24).

Politico Pro: Some In GOP Mull Blocking Sequester Deal
Not everyone in Washington is so desperate to avoid sequestration. A handful of Senate conservatives have been gaming out ways to block a deal, if they consider it a bad one -; even if it means letting billions in across-the-board cuts go through, according to GOP sources on Capitol Hill. The issue: Republican budget hard-liners fear that the White House, congressional Democrats and their own party leaders will try to replace or forestall the cuts with budget gimmickry or new taxes. They worry that "fake" cuts -; savings that would have happened anyway or other accounting tricks -; will become increasingly popular, even for moderate Republicans, as the zero hour approaches for the Defense Department (Allen, 9/25).