Smith, Buchanan, Wenstrup offer bill to provide guardrails for CMMI

Legislation introduced on Tuesday by U.S. Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) would clarify parameters for model testing and add accountability to model expansion under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), which tests new methods of payment or patient care intended to lower costs and improve patient outcomes.

“There’s no question CMMI lacks transparency. Worse, since its creation, it has failed to improve Medicare and Medicaid for beneficiaries — which is why I am introducing this bill to increase accountability and reassert congressional authority,” said Rep. Smith, who sponsored the Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act, H.R. 6732.

Cosponsored by Rep. Buchanan and Rep. Wenstrup, H.R. 6732 aims to help restore accountability for the CMMI, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.

“Proper oversight of CMMI will safeguard innovation and spur improvements in healthcare services to benefit both patients and providers,” Rep. Smith added. “I thank [U.S. House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee] Chairman Buchanan and Dr. Wenstrup for partnering with me on this important legislation.”

Rep. Wenstrup pointed out that CMMI was created to find innovative ways to pay for and deliver care that can lower costs and improve care, but according to a recent analysis, CMMI’s activities have increased direct spending by $5.4 billion between 2011 and 2020. 

“This legislation would bring key reforms empowering Congress to conduct oversight over CMMI’s activities to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used to pursue models that improve the future of health care delivery,” he said.

If enacted, H.R. 6732 also would reduce the uncertainty for both patients and providers by better defining the phases and steps in CMMI’s model testing process, the summary says, noting that the bill would ensure new models are appropriately limited in size and scope during initial testing.

At the same time, the bill would reassert congressional authority to review model expansion in an effort to bring transparency to CMMI operations and create additional opportunities to improve quality of care for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, states the summary.

“Created under ObamaCare, CMMI has been allowed to operate and increase direct spending by billions of taxpayer dollars a year without congressional approval or any meaningful oversight for far too long,” said Rep. Buchanan. “It’s past time for Congress to reassert much-needed oversight and put guardrails on this program to protect our nation’s seniors from further unnecessary overreach.”

H.R. 6732 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, and the U.S. House Rules Committee.