CMS Releases Updated Strategic Priorities at May 20 Event

The Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a conversation with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services leadership on May 20, 2026, to mark the release of the agency’s updated strategic priorities and vision. CMS oversees health coverage for more than 160 million Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, and the federal exchanges.

The discussion focused on four main pillars: leveraging artificial intelligence and modern technology, systematically reducing fraud, waste, and abuse across payer programs, ensuring improved health outcomes for Americans, and driving affordability through aligning program spending, costs, and value.

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and Deputy Administrator and Chief of Staff Stephanie Carlton participated in the moderated conversation.

Following the remarks, former CMS administrators Andy Slavitt and Seema Verma discussed reforms related to the priorities. Panelists noted that democratizing access to high-quality care is the defining health care challenge of this era and that advances in technology, care delivery models, and data infrastructure make broader access possible if policy and payment systems evolve.

Speakers said stewardship of public resources and better health outcomes are complementary goals and that tackling fraud, waste, and abuse is a data problem requiring integration across government systems. Panelists expressed support for moving beyond traditional mandates toward accountable care to address underlying drivers of poor health outcomes, citing CMMI models, Medicaid, obesity-focused interventions, and technology as available levers.

They also observed that the most durable health care reforms are those that resonate across stakeholder groups and party lines.