From the President’s Desk: What to expect from the American Rescue Plan
May 2021—Since the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March, pathologists have been both excited and confused about its ramifications for our community. I’ve heard from many of my colleagues who expect more money to flow to their labs, and that may not necessarily be the case. The lab I run has not seen this new funding directly. Congress has made significant investments to support diagnostic testing in this bill and others enacted over the past year. The CAP is grateful for the support and recognizes that if we don’t receive funds directly, we will find funds flowing indirectly to our laboratories in one form or another. For example, Congress has ensured the necessary tests for COVID-19 that our laboratories run will be covered. This includes the tests for the uninsured. The CAP was instrumental in achieving big wins for us in this bill —but there were also places where we didn’t win. I’d like to review some of the most important elements to help all CAP members understand what to expect for your laboratories.