News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel

News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel
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New Obamacare Mandate on Screening and Preventive Care May Benefit Clinical Pathology Laboratories

Increased medical laboratory test utilization might result from this new policy


Last month, another Obamacare mandate took effect which may lead to an increased volume of laboratory tests referred to the nation’s clinical laboratories and pathology groups. Effective on September 23, 2010, health plans must cover a host of screening and preventive medical services for which patients are not to be required to pay any money out-of-pocket.

It would appear that this mandate was included in the 2,700-page healthcare reform law as a benefit to consumers—thus giving democratic lawmakers a positive feature that they could talk up with their voters. These 75+ preventative and screening services (thanks to the new health reform legislation) have the potential to increase the volume of laboratory testing specimens, if large numbers of consumers were take advantage of these “free” medical services. (more…)

Senate Votes to Advance its Health Reform Bill, But Fails to Extend Universal Health Coverage to Millions of Americans

News Reports Estimate as many as 25 Million Americans Would STILL Lack Coverage

With its vote on Saturday, the United States Senate advanced its version of a healthcare reform bill one step further. Now, in both the House and Senate, full floor debate will begin on the different healthcare reform bills that have reached the floor in each body.

Looming in the background, however, is the failure of each of these 2,000-page proposed bills to extend universal coverage to all residents of the United States. This is notable fact, since, over the course of 2009, advocates of an immediate legislative overhaul of the healthcare system in the United States declared their goal was to extend health coverage to all of the estimated 46 million Americans who currently lack health coverage.

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