CMMI “is our best hope to innovate & achieve better health outcomes at lower costs,” Patrick Conway, MD, former deputy administrator and chief medical officer at CMS said in a May 8 tweet. “Cutting $800M or any amount would be a bad decision. CMS spends over $1 trillion per year; over $100M/hour. CMMI is key to better system.”
American Academy of Family Physicians President Michael Munger, MD, agreed.
“We’re also concerned about the $800 million rescission in funding for the CMS Innovation Center,” he said. “This initiative has been at the forefront of innovative demonstrations that can pave the way for a health care system that improves the quality of care and cuts health care spending.”
Congress has 45 days to act on the White House’s rescission proposal. If it takes no action, the proposal expires and the funds cannot be targeted by the same mechanism in the future. If Congress addresses the rescission request, it would need just a simple majority to pass each chamber.
Despite slashing more than $15 billion from the budget, the White House notes that the rescission request would reduce spending by only $3 billion.