Senator Reverend Warnock introduced the bipartisan Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services Act with Senator Tillis to update Medicare’s payment system for clinical diagnostic laboratory services

The legislation also protects patient access to laboratory services and strengthens the nation’s clinical lab infrastructure

Senator Warnock: “I’m proud to partner with my colleague Senator Tillis to put forward this legislative fix that will help ensure Georgia seniors will continue to have access to high-quality diagnostic services”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the bipartisan Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services (RESULTS) Act. The legislation would update Medicare’s payment system for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, ensuring seniors have access to the most innovative tests and subsequently more timely treatments.

“Access to quality clinical labs is essential to keeping our seniors living long, healthy lives,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “I’m proud to partner with my colleague Senator Tillis to put forward this legislative fix that will help ensure Georgia seniors will continue to have access to high-quality diagnostic services.”

“It is critically important that seniors have uninterrupted access to innovative diagnostic tests,” said Senator Tillis. “The Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services Act is a necessary step toward ensuring this access and supporting seniors’ health care needs. I’m proud to work with my colleagues to permanently fix flawed data collection and reporting methods which will allow Medicare beneficiaries to continue receiving quality and affordable lab services.”    

In 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) to ensure Medicare’s clinical laboratory fee schedule (CLFS) aligned with the rates that were paid by private insurers. Under this legislation, many clinical labs were required to submit rate information to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to then be used to calculate rates under CLFS. Over time, the data collected and reported failed to capture a representative sample of the various segments of the clinical lab market.

Without Congressional action, analysis estimate that a cut of up to 15% will be imposed on over 800 tests on the CLFS in January 2026 and again in 2027 and 2028.

This bill aims to improve Medicare reimbursements for laboratories by:

• Adjusting data reporting requirements and allowing CMS to work with a third-party administer to collect data
• Remove Medicaid MCOs from the definition of private payors
• Cap Medicare reductions at 5% instead of 15%
• Change data reporting for widely reported tests from labs to a third-party qualifying claims database
• Make payment rates subject to administrative or judicial review

Read the Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services HERE

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