SALSA introduced in the 118th Congress
On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, the bipartisan, bicameral sponsors of the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA) reintroduced the legislation in the 118th Congress. SALSA would protect laboratories from drastic cuts to reimbursement associated with the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014 in January of 2024 and in future years. Introduced by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), and Scott Peters (D-CA), SALSA will repair a flawed data reporting and rate setting methodology put in place by PAMA. SALSA requires CMS to use a statistically representative sample of the entire laboratory market to determine CLFS rates for widely available diagnostic tests and puts in place protections against drastic rate cuts. SALSA will reduce the administrative burden on laboratories by requiring fewer laboratories to report private payer data and increasing the time between reporting periods from three to four years.
NILA supports this legislation and will soon share opportunities for members to communicate with their own legislators as we seek cosponsors for the legislation with the goal of passage in Congress before the end of the year.