Key facts
- The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), created by the Affordable Care Act, is criticized for failing to reduce healthcare costs or improve care.
- Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to abolish CMMI, citing significant financial losses and expanding government control.
- A GAO report found CMMI's success rate in testing models for nationwide expansion is less than 6%.
- A recent poll shows 78% of voters are concerned about CMMI increasing government control over healthcare decisions.
Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to abolish the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), an agency created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. Critics argue that CMMI has failed to meet its objectives of reducing healthcare costs and improving care, instead incurring significant financial losses and expanding government control over healthcare decisions.
The center was established with a $10 billion-per-decade budget to develop payment models for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. However, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated savings of $2.8 billion between 2011 and 2020, while the program actually lost $5.4 billion during that period and is projected to lose an additional $1.3 billion by 2030.
A March 2026 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that only four out of 70 models tested by CMMI met the criteria for nationwide expansion, representing a success rate of less than 6%. Concerns have also been raised about a new model that uses artificial intelligence for prior authorization, potentially creating financial incentives to deny clinically appropriate care.
Proponents of abolishing CMMI, such as Representative Aaron Bean and Tom Schatz of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, argue that the agency operates with limited congressional oversight and has become a mechanism for advancing healthcare agendas through costly, experimental changes. An October 2025 poll indicated that 78% of voters are concerned about CMMI increasing government control over personal healthcare decisions.