The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Mar. 31 evaluating the performance of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center (CMMI) from 2011 to 2024, following a request by House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington and former Health Care Task Force Chairman Michael Burgess.
The findings matter because CMMI was established under the Affordable Care Act to test new ways of improving health care quality while reducing federal spending. However, GAO found that after more than ten years, CMMI has not met its goals.
Chairman Jodey Arrington said in response to the GAO report: "The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) was created to lower health care costs and improve care—but after more than a decade, it’s done neither. Instead, it has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars and implemented a paltry 4 out of the 70 models developed." He continued: "A 5 percent success rate isn’t innovation—it’s failure. And with our national debt barreling past $39 trillion, we can’t afford programs that promise savings but consistently come up short." Arrington also said: "CMMI’s mission is too important to abandon, but the status quo is unacceptable. It’s time for real accountability, models that actually deliver results, and a relentless focus on delivering better access and better outcomes at a lower cost." He added: "Under the Trump Administration’s leadership, CMMI has the potential to deliver on its mission by implementing new models to lower costs and Make America Healthy Again. I’m encouraged by Secretary Kennedy’s and CMS Administrator Oz’s commitment to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse and ensuring the Innovation Center finally delivers on its promise—for patients and for taxpayers."
According to GAO's findings in their assessment requested by House leaders—including those from key committees such as Ways and Means—the program had only implemented four successful models out of seventy tested since its creation according to the official website. The Congressional Budget Office reported that between fiscal years 2011 through 2020 CMMI spent $7.9 billion but generated only $2.6 billion in savings—resulting in a net loss of $5.4 billion—and projects further increases in federal spending over time due largely to slow implementation rates as well as issues with quality metrics according to the official website.
The House Budget Committee plays an oversight role over federal spending decisions including those related to health programs like CMMI according to the official website. The committee also works closely with independent analysts at agencies such as the Congressional Budget Office when reviewing these expenditures according to the official website.
As Congress considers next steps regarding federal health policy reforms or changes at agencies like CMMI—especially given ongoing concerns about effectiveness—the House Budget Committee will continue preparing annual budget resolutions using processes such as reconciliation according to the official website.
