WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reducing healthcare costs while keeping Americans active and productive longer is central to improving national health outcomes, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator.
The administrator said a key lesson from serving in the current administration is that the most expensive failure in healthcare is delivering poor-quality care.
At the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the stated priority is quality across the full continuum of care, from disease prevention to everyday healthy behaviors such as home meal preparation.
Officials are also shifting the system toward value-based interactions, where providers are compensated for caring for patients rather than simply performing procedures.
Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence used safely and correctly, are seen as tools to deliver care where patients are and encourage greater personal responsibility for health.
Every Medicare beneficiary receives a free annual wellness exam, but fewer than half currently use it, leaving undetected conditions to surface as costlier problems later.
The administrator warned that skipping preventive visits often reflects a false sense of security, with untreated issues driving up long-term expenses.
Improving health and extending workforce participation could yield roughly $1 trillion in national economic value through additional tax revenue and productivity.
Many older Americans want to keep working but feel physically diminished, and targeted health investment could help them remain engaged and capable.
The broader argument is that spending less on avoidable care while improving vitality will strengthen both public health and the economy.
