North Texas News

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the House Budget Committee Health Care Task Force, recently spearheaded a roundtable discussion on the budgetary implications of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). During the roundtable, it was highlighted that CMMI, which was initially expected to save taxpayer dollars, has instead contributed significantly to the national debt.

In a statement during the roundtable, Congressman Burgess expressed concern over the financial impact of CMMI, stating, "When the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation was first established in 2010, it was projected to save taxpayer dollars. Fast forward to 2024, it has cost Americans billions of dollars and continues to increase federal spending, day by day."

The discussion also revolved around the recent report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which revealed that CMMI has not met its anticipated savings. Congressman Burgess emphasized the importance of exploring legislative measures to curtail federal health spending and enhance patients' access to quality and affordable healthcare. He affirmed the commitment of the Health Care Task Force to oversee federal spending programs diligently to safeguard taxpayer funds.

The roundtable convened various stakeholders, including Director Phillip Swagel from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Demetrios Kouzoukas from Paragon Health Institute. Kouzoukas, a former head of the Medicare program during the Trump administration, brought valuable insights to the discussion.

Established as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, CMMI was allocated $10 billion in mandatory funding every decade to pilot new payment models in federal health programs, primarily Medicare. Despite initial projections by the CBO indicating budgetary savings, a revision in September 2023 disclosed that CMMI has actually escalated federal spending. The CBO's analysis revealed that between 2011 and 2020, CMMI added $5.4 billion to the national debt and is projected to incur an additional $1.3 billion by 2030.

The ongoing scrutiny of programs like CMMI underscores the importance of fiscal responsibility and efficiency in healthcare spending, as emphasized by Congressman Burgess and the Budget Health Care Task Force.