ADLM urges Congress to improve children's access to high quality clinical laboratory testing

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM, formerly AACC) released a position statement today emphasizing that limited access to quality clinical laboratory services is impeding children's health, and that action must be taken to address this significant problem. In particular, the statement calls on Congress to increase funding for programs such as the Children's Health Insurance Program and newborn screening in order to create a more equitable healthcare landscape for children.

Read the position statement here: https://myadlm.org/advocacy-and-outreach/position-statements/2025/improving-equity-and-access-to-pediatric-testing

High quality clinical laboratory testing plays a critical role in the diagnosis and management of pediatric patients. However, numerous significant barriers currently stand between children and access to effective tests. One of the biggest is the rising cost of healthcare and a lack of price transparency, which can make essential laboratory tests unaffordable for many families. Even for families with insurance, high-deductible plans lead to significant out-of-pocket expenses, with 43% of insured patients facing prohibitive costs that often prevent access to necessary pediatric care.

Test availability also varies widely, with not all states offering the same tests. For example, Louisiana and Montana perform newborn screening for only 33 inborn genetic conditions, whereas others such as Connecticut and California screen for more than 70 conditions. Additionally, most lab tests use reference intervals based on adult populations rather than pediatric patients. This puts children at risk for misdiagnosis, which in turn can lead to inappropriate or even harmful treatment (or lack thereof).

To address these disparities in access to quality pediatric care, ADLM urges Congress to take the following steps:

• Increase funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program and regional hospitals that provide care for underserved and specialized pediatric populations.
• Expand funding for newborn screening to ensure that all states are able to offer the tests included in the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel for newborns.
• Provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with additional funding to establish and maintain pediatric reference intervals.

ADLM also calls on the federal government to provide support to enhance health literacy, making information accessible to diverse populations and empowering families to better understand their healthcare options and navigate the system effectively. Along those same lines, the government should streamline the Hospital Price Transparency Final Rule to reduce patient confusion about the cost of healthcare services that hospitals offer. Patient advocacy groups, healthcare providers, and payers should collaborate as well to ensure that price transparency policies are patient-centered and don't add unnecessary costs.

"Clinical laboratory services play an indispensable role in children's health, and improving access will help children, particularly the most vulnerable, to receive the care they need," said ADLM President Dr. Anthony Killeen. "We commend Congress for supporting programs aimed at accomplishing this goal, but even more funding is needed for these initiatives now, and we urge legislators to make this a top priority. We also call on policymakers to collaborate with laboratory medicine experts and healthcare providers to craft new well-developed policies that will ensure access to pediatric testing and healthcare services."

About the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)

Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, ADLM (formerly AACC) brings together more than 70,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, ADLM has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.myadlm.org.

Contact:
Christine DeLong
ADLM
Associate Director, Communications & PR
(p) 202.835.8722
[email protected]

Molly Polen
ADLM
Senior Director, Communications & PR
(p) 202.420.7612
(c) 703.598.0472
[email protected]

SOURCE Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)