I want to share with you why CCAGW launched our latest campaign — because it gets right to the heart of our mission: eliminating government waste and protecting taxpayers.
Here are a few facts you should know about how the CMMI managed to waste $5.4 billion so far and will soon waste another $1.3 billion.
CMMI: A Costly Failed Experiment
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) was created under Obamacare in 2010 to create new models that would test how to lower costs and improve quality of care.
Instead, it has become a costly failed experiment in government-run healthcare.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, CMMI was expected to save taxpayers $2.8 billion between 2011–2020. Instead, it lost $5.4 billion and is projected to lose another $1.3 billion by 2030.
Big Government Waste, Little to Show
CMMI has created 49 payment models that have touched 28 million patients and more than 528,000 healthcare providers.
Yet only six models avoided increasing spending or the quality of healthcare.
John, that is an abysmal track record.
Meanwhile, the program spends $10 billion in mandatory funding every decade — money Congress never votes on, and money taxpayers cannot afford for the government to waste.
Past Failures, New Threats
CMMI’s failures aren’t just in the past.
In 2025 alone, four major models were terminated by the Trump administration because they failed to save money or improve care.
And starting January 1, 2026, CMMI will roll out the so-called WISeR model in six states, forcing Medicare patients with conditions like Parkinson’s disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, and incontinence to go through new prior-authorization red tape before receiving treatments.
That means more government intrusion, less choice, and more frustration for patients and doctors alike.
CCAGW launched this campaign because taxpayers deserve better than a program that wastes billions and puts patients at risk. We are calling on Congress to: