CMS Cancels 10-Year Primary Care Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has scrapped a planned 10-year primary care program, drawing criticism from clinics concerned about future funding and stability. The move raises questions about the agency's long-term strategy for payment reform. The decision impacts primary and maternal care providers, particularly those in rural and underserved areas.
- The canceled program, called Making Care Primary (MCP), was a voluntary 10.5-year model that launched on July 1, 2024, involving nearly 700 practices across eight states. It was designed to move primary care away from fee-for-service payments and toward a system that also addressed health-related social needs like housing and nutrition. - CMS stated the cancellation of MCP and three other programs—including another primary care model called Primary Care First—would save taxpayers nearly $750 million by the end of 2025. An agency spokesperson said the Making Care Primary program "was not on track to meet its intended savings goal." - The program had provided flexible funding that clinics planned to use for hiring staff, improving coordination with specialists, and buying vehicles to transport patients to appointments. For some participants, the cancellation is projected to cause a significant revenue reduction of an estimated 36%. - The abrupt termination has damaged providers' trust in federal programs, with some questioning their ability to plan for the future "when the future can just go away so quickly." A spokesperson for New York's health agency noted that such a change can harm confidence in the sustainability of future programs. - The cancellation occurred just one year into the program, which former CMS Innovation Center Director Elizabeth Fowler noted was not enough time to produce meaningful data on whether it improved patient health. - Along with MCP, CMS also ended the Primary Care First (PCF) model, the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices initiative, and the Maryland Total Cost of Care model ahead of schedule. - CMS has indicated it is launching a new 10-year program to boost primary care called the Long-term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD). The agency is also proceeding with a model set to begin in July 2026 called ACCESS (Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions), which will test outcome-based payments for technology-supported care of chronic conditions.
