From the President’s Desk: The federal government and your compensation
March 2020—It is important to understand that we—those of us who work in the U.S.—are all essentially independent contractors for the federal government. Pathologists who work directly for a federal agency or the Department of Defense are the only exception. The federal government has enormous influence on funding and reimbursement in health care. Including direct and indirect spending, about 50 cents of each health care dollar comes from Washington.