The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) released a report on Nov. 28 showing the contributions clinical laboratories have made to the job market and the overall U.S. economy, in hopes that these data would encourage lawmakers to pass the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA) this year before a fourth round of Medicare payment cuts takes effect in January, as scheduled.
The report was based on an analysis of records from more than 55,000 laboratories nationwide. The analysis revealed that clinical laboratories produce more than 652,000 jobs nationwide and bring in an annual $48.8 billion in wages to U.S. workers. Additionally, the industry pays annual local, state, and federal taxes totaling more than $11.3 billion.
ACLA warns that with repeated rounds of Medicare payment cuts, the nation’s clinical laboratory infrastructure could become weakened and diminish the industry’s economic impact. These cuts could also make it more difficult to maintain the laboratory workforce, which is essential to public health. Therefore, ACLA is urging Congress to enact SALSA to sustainably set Medicare laboratory workforce reimbursement rates.
A campaign called Stop Lab Cuts is being led by ACLA to educate policymakers and ask for congressional support for reforms proposed by SALSA.
Source:
https://www.acla.com/%ef%bf%bcnew-analysis-shows-value-of-clinical-laboratories-to-the-u-s-economy/
