Advocacy News

• How you can protect CDC cancer registries
• Pathologists rallying on prior authorization, physician workforce
• The State of Success: Looking at state-level advocacy wins
• Eight sessions to fuel your advocacy at CAP25

Congress is making final budget decisions that could determine the future of cancer surveillance in the US.

Take action: Tell Congress now to preserve CDC cancer surveillance funding. It’s helpful if you can add a sentence about how this affects your patients or your lab.

What’s happening: A 2026 budget plan proposes eliminating the CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. This program funds and coordinates cancer surveillance nationwide. 

• Losing this capacity would undermine data collection, screening, and prevention, and could pause other cancer-related programs or furlough staff.

Current status: The Senate has recommended funding, but the final outcome will be decided in upcoming negotiations. Lawmakers are listening now—your voice can help determine what happens.

Once Congress returns to Washington post-Labor Day, swift action is needed on a full slate of priorities. Pathologists are sending Action Alerts this August to ensure our agenda gains momentum on Capitol Hill next month.

Take action: In addition to saving the cancer registries, we’re asking members to go to our Action Center to send a message to Congress on these important issues:

• Address the physician workforce shortage: Support legislation that bolsters physician numbers, such as Conrad 30.
• Oppose the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act: Overturning court precedent, this act would allow the patenting of human genes and naturally occurring associations between genes and disease.
• Reform prior authorization: Push for reforms to reduce burdensome prior authorization requirements that interfere with pathology services.

Unsure of how Action Alerts work? Use our step-by-step tutorial to send your alert!

Here are four more ways to engage during the August Recess Rally:

• Sign up for advocacy grassroots text alerts
• Take our Recess Rally survey
• Invite a lawmaker to tour your laboratory
• Become a member of our PathNET program

The CAP's advocacy efforts this year have been crucial in protecting pathologists' public policy interests at the state level.

Dive in: See a map of our 2025 state legislative success and learn more about how the CAP collaborates with state pathology societies to protect pathologists’ scope of practice across the country.

Zoom out: State-level policies have a direct impact on the quality, availability, and accessibility of pathology services. 

• Advocacy at the state level is critical to protecting patients and the specialty.

Advocacy is a key component to advancing the specialty and ensuring patient access to quality care. Policy shifts and legislative actions are shaping the future of pathology and laboratory medicine. 

Here’s an overview of the advocacy courses and discussions offered at our upcoming meeting.

Sunday, September 14

• Value-Based Programs and Payment Reform
• Policy, Pathology, and the Future of Health Care: Key Challenges and Opportunities for Pathologists
• How Is My Payment Determined for Pathology Services? 
• Advocacy Town Hall

Monday, September 15

• Fireside Chat: Toward a Patient-Centered Pathology Report
• Fireside Chat: Value-Based Payment, Past and Future
• CPT Coding…You Can’t Practice Without It! Why Pathologists Need to Understand CPT Coding

Tuesday, September 16

• Power in Partnership: How State Pathology Societies and the CAP Drive Advocacy Together

Register for CAP25 and add these sessions to your schedule today!