Since 2001, Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) have fallen approximately 33 percent—largely due to the lack of an inflationary update. In addition, the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) has experienced significant cuts as a result of a failed reform effort, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act. With insurers benchmarking their payment rates to Medicare, the inability of Medicare to keep pace with inflation threatens the financial stability of all clinical laboratories and pathology practices. 

Recently, Congress enacted, and President Trump signed, legislation funding the federal government through the rest of 2025.  Unfortunately, Congress did not address Medicare payment rates.

ASCP is continuing to lobby Congress to enact a legislative fix this year.  Legislation known as the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act would reverse this year's 2.8 percent cut in the PFS and provide a 2 percent update—about half the estimate of medical inflation for this year. We ask that you join us in taking action to stabilize the financial environment for pathology and laboratory medicine.

How you can help:

Please use ASCP’s e-Advocacy Center to tell Congress to Fix Medicare’s payment rates.  This should only take a few short minutes.  Thank you.