Medical & Imaging Labs NAICS 621511, 621512

Nov 13, 2025 - ACA Insurance Premiums May Increase Significantly

• Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums may increase significantly in 2026 because enhanced premium tax credits for policies are set to expire at the end of 2025. Most Medicaid ACA expansion programs must cover many recommended preventive test and imaging services without any patient cost-sharing, according to healthcare policy research organization KFF. Demand for these services may decrease if patients drop insurance coverage due to affordability issues. The credits were a key flashpoint fueling the month-long federal government shutdown, according to Investopedia, but a November 12 deal to reopen the government only pushes a decision on ACA premium tax credits to December. The expanded credits, first introduced by the Biden-era American Rescue Plan, increased the previous subsidy amount and eliminated the eligibility income cap. The credits are commonly credited with making Obamacare plans cheaper, doubling signups, and driving the uninsured rate to record lows, according to Investopedia. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities researchers found that without the enhanced premium tax credits, an average ACA enrollee will see their out-of-pocket premiums more than double, spiking by $1,000 a year. People in their sixties with middle incomes could pay $25,000 more.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not appeal a federal court ruling that the agency does not have the authority to regulate laboratory-developed tests. The FDA finalized a plan in 2024 to regulate laboratory-developed medical tests due to concerns about reliability and risks to patients. The agency argued that inaccurate results may force patients to unnecessarily start a new treatment or delay care. Major industry players, including academic medical centers that develop their own tests and large commercial laboratories, opposed the plan.

• Medicare payments to Medicare Advantage plans are expected to increase an average of 3.7%, or over $16 billion in 2025, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medical and imaging laboratories are likely to benefit from the increase in expenditures. The finalized the Calendar Year 2025 Rate Announcement for Medicare Advantage is projected to result in payments of between $500 and $600 billion in Medicare Advantage payments to private health plans in 2025.
• Medical and imaging laboratory industry employment and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first seven months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Medical and imaging labs decreased prices slightly during the first half of 2025, according to the BLS. Medical and imaging laboratory industry revenue increased 6.5% year over year and 1.1% quarter over quarter during the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the US Census Bureau.