ACLA Applauds Enactment of Short-Term PAMA Relief in Spending Package and Urges Advancement of RESULTS Act
Washington, D.C. – The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) applauds the enactment of a short-term delay to payment cuts to the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) and data reporting requirements under the 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), included in the federal government funding package. The provision delays these harmful policies through January 30, 2026. Without this latest extension, laboratories would have faced a fourth round of cuts—up to 15 percent reductions on roughly 800 tests—along with burdensome reporting mandates beginning in 2026.
“We appreciate that Congress and the President have again acknowledged the serious consequences of PAMA cuts on both patient care and the nation’s laboratory infrastructure,” said ACLA President Susan Van Meter. “This delay delivers critical short-term relief for clinical laboratories and the millions of patients who depend on timely, accurate testing. Clinical diagnostics are the GPS of health care, guiding decisions that improve outcomes and save lives.”
“Now, Congress has a vital opportunity to prioritize enacting meaningful, permanent reform through the Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services (RESULTS) Act (H.R. 5269 / S. 2761).” Van Meter added. “ACLA is committed to working with lawmakers and key health care committees to advance the RESULTS Act and protect patient access to critical laboratory testing services nationwide.”
The RESULTS Act would modernize the CLFS rate-setting process by leveraging comprehensive, representative commercial market data while significantly reducing administrative burdens on laboratories and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
RESULTS has earned broad support across the health care community. In a recent letter, ACLA and more than 30 leading provider organizations, including laboratory, physician, hospital and health system, and diagnostic manufacturer groups, called on Congress to enact the RESULTS Act to prevent destabilizing cuts. The organizations also emphasized that “clinical laboratory tests inform 70 percent of medical decisions, yet the CLFS represents less than one percent of total Medicare spending.”
Learn more and take action at StopLabCuts.org.
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The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) is the national trade association representing leading laboratories that deliver essential diagnostic health information to patients and providers by advocating for policies that expand access to the highest quality clinical laboratory services, improve patient outcomes, and advance the next generation of personalized care.
