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In Washington, the common belief is that Republicans are more talk than action when it comes to their opposition to Obamacare. However, the reality is that the GOP has a substantial track record to share.
Republicans rarely highlight their efforts to dismantle some of the most detrimental parts of Obamacare, yet GOP lawmakers have been steadily working to undermine the law for years. During President Trump’s administration, Republicans successfully eliminated the individual mandate, repealed the “Cadillac tax,” disbanded the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), and removed the medical device tax. These actions not only saved taxpayers billions but also curtailed the expansion of federal control over healthcare.
Currently, as legislators grapple with the impending end of a Biden-era initiative that greatly increased Obamacare’s insurance subsidies, one major component of the law remains intact—the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, or CMMI. Originally pitched in 2010 as a “innovation hub” for experimenting with new payment models to reduce costs and enhance quality, CMMI, like many promises of Obamacare, has failed to deliver as intended.
The Congressional Budget Office reports that CMMI increased federal spending by $5.4 billion from 2011 to 2020, with projections indicating it will cost taxpayers an additional $1.3 billion by 2030. Instead of saving money, CMMI has evolved into a vast, unregulated agency that enforces experimental payment models on millions of seniors—often without their consent and with questionable benefits.
And the public has noticed. A recent poll conducted by the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste found overwhelming voter frustration with CMMI’s failures. 61 percent said that any CMMI model failing to produce savings should be eliminated. Over three-fourths expressed concern that CMMI gives the federal government too much control over personal health-care decisions.
At a time when voters want health care freedom and choice, CMMI represents the opposite: Washington-driven mandates and centralized decision-making. For conservatives and those who believe in America First, this should be a no-brainer. If Republicans want to show they are serious about shrinking bureaucracy and restoring patient control, repealing CMMI is the clearest, most immediate step they can take.
It is also smart politics. With the 2026 midterms on the horizon, Republicans have an opportunity to demonstrate that their opposition to Obamacare is more than rhetoric. They can point to a track record: repealing the individual mandate penalty, the Cadillac tax, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, and the medical device tax. Repealing CMMI would give them yet another concrete accomplishment to take to voters — a proof point that they are doing exactly what they promised: fighting government overreach and protecting patients.
Moreover, eliminating CMMI would help clear the way for real innovation driven by doctors, patients, and the private sector — not by bureaucrats in Washington experimenting with people’s care. Competition, choice, and flexibility come from empowering individuals, not from federally dictated “models” that too often restrict how providers treat their patients.
CMMI was designed in the Obama era, for the Obama era. It has failed at its mission, wasted taxpayer dollars, and expanded federal control over health care. It needs to be ended before it can cause any more damage.
As Congress negotiates a health-care package to deal with expiring Obamacare subsidies, GOP lawmakers should make their move to repeal CMMI. Strike it from the books. Shut it down. Send this leftover piece of Obamacare exactly where it belongs — the ash heap of failed federal experiments.
Americans want accountability. They want choice. And they want leaders who take action. Repealing CMMI gives Republicans the chance to deliver all three.