Previous Advocacy Updates

To prepare for the CAP’s annual Hill Day, CAP members discussed strategies for how they will engage their members of Congress and lobby to mitigate future Medicare cuts at the Pathologists Leadership Summit.

The CAP strongly urged the health insurer Cigna to rescind a new payment policy to deny claims when the professional component (modifier 26) of clinical pathology is billed.

Because of CAP advocacy and support from the American Medical Association, Congress finalized bipartisan legislation that extended the moratorium on a 2% cut to physician Medicare payments until the end of 2021.

President Joe Biden’s 2021 budget recommendation to Congress released on April 9 called for an additional $8.7 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a 23% boost to the Department of Health and Human Services.

In anticipation of pending congressional action to extend the 2% sequester reduction suspension for Medicare claims, the CMS instructed Medicare Administrative Contractors to hold all claims for a short period without affecting providers’ cash flow.

On March 25, the Senate passed CAP-supported legislation to prevent a 2% cut from hitting physician Medicare payments until the end of 2021.

The House passed legislation to prevent a 2% cut from hitting physician Medicare payments beginning April 1. The CAP supported the bipartisan bill that passed with a 246-175 vote on March 19. The bill, HR 1868, will now go to the Senate for consideration. The CAP will urge senators to approve the bill.

The CAP supports bipartisan efforts in the House and Senate to stop Medicare Sequester cuts that will take effect April 1. The CAP sent a letter to congressional leaders urging Congress to prevent additional financial burdens on pathologists during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest congressional COVID-19 relief package advanced with the Senate voting 50-49 on March 6 after several hours of debate and amendments. Since the legislation changed from what had been previously approved by the House, the bill will be taken up again in the House where it is expected to pass over the next few days. The CAP had advocated for several health care provisions related to pathology and ensuring access to testing for patients

On February 27, the House approved the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan legislative package, which includes increased vaccine distribution and provisions to support COVID-19 testing.

As the House works on its version of a legislative package to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the CAP urged Senate leaders to support testing services and laboratory frontline providers as they craft their own pandemic relief bill.

The CAP urged a key health care committee in the House to increase testing resources and expand laboratory capacity for COVID-19 tests in its next pandemic relief package.

The House and Senate agreed to a budget plan on February 5 that is needed to enact a proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 response and relief package.