PAN submits letter to Congress in support of clinical trial income exemption legislation
Information about this website: Following the March 2026 merger of Patient Advocate Foundation and the PAN Foundation, this website is now a part of Patient Advocate Foundation and remains active during our website transition.
Where to find information during our transition:
- About the merged organization: uniting.patientadvocate.org
- Financial assistance: totalassist.org
- Additional direct patient services and resources: patientadvocate.org
- Education: panfoundation.org and education.patientadvocate.org
- Clinical trials education: clinicaltrials.panfoundation.org
- Advocacy: npaf.org
- Research: patientinsightinstitute.org
The PAN Foundation submitted a letter to Congressional Representatives Kelly and Houlahan in support of the Harley Jacobsen Clinical Trial Participant Income Exemption Act (H.R. 4184). The proposed legislation aims to exempt all payments received by clinical trial participants from being counted towards their taxable gross income.
Financial barriers are a major obstacle to clinical trial participation and this burden falls disproportionately on low-income individuals, who are historically underrepresented in medical research despite facing a higher disease burden. The Harley Jacobsen Clinical Trial Participant Income Exemption Act seeks to bridge this gap by reforming outdated tax policies that treat clinical trial compensation as taxable income.
The legislation will strengthen national clinical trial recruitment and retention efforts and help ensure that new treatments and therapies reflect the populations most impacted by the diseases being studied. The bill recognizes how current tax reporting rules can be a serious deterrent for individuals and families who rely on programs like SNAP and WIC.