{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warnock-leads-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-seniors-access-to-lab-testing/", "Warnock Leads Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Seniors\u2019 Access to Lab Testing", "2025-09-10", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "GA", "Raphael G. Warnock", "W000790", "www.warnock.senate.gov", "warnock", "https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Senator Reverend Warnock introduced the bipartisan Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services Act with Senator Tillis to update Medicare\u2019s payment system for clinical diagnostic laboratory services\n\nThe legislation also protects patient access to laboratory services and strengthens the nation\u2019s clinical lab infrastructure\n\nSenator Warnock: \u201cI\u2019m 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\u201d\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 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\u2019s payment system for clinical diagnostic laboratory services, ensuring seniors have access to the most innovative tests and subsequently more timely treatments.\n\n\u201cAccess to quality clinical labs is essential to keeping our seniors living long, healthy lives,\u201d said Senator Reverend Warnock. \u201cI\u2019m 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is critically important that seniors have uninterrupted access to innovative diagnostic tests,\u201d said Senator Tillis. \u201cThe Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services Act is a necessary step toward ensuring this access and supporting seniors\u2019 health care needs. I\u2019m 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.\u201d\n\nIn 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) to ensure Medicare\u2019s 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.\n\nWithout 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.\n\nThis bill aims to improve Medicare reimbursements for laboratories by:\n\nAdjusting data reporting requirements and allowing CMS to work with a third-party administer to collect data\n\nRemove Medicaid MCOs from the definition of private payors\n\nCap Medicare reductions at 5% instead of 15%\n\nChange data reporting for widely reported tests from labs to a third-party qualifying claims database\n\nMake payment rates subject to administrative or judicial review\n\nRead the Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services HERE", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warnock-leads-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-seniors-access-to-lab-testing/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7492159493267536, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}