Fourth Annual Health Solutions Summit

On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget hosted its fourth annual Health Solutions Summit, gathering policymakers and researchers to discuss how to reduce federal health care costs. This year's event focused on Medicare solvency, Medicare Advantage (MA), Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, and prices in the commercial sector. Despite the weather, we welcomed over 200 individuals for hot cocoa and health policy discussions.

Opening remarks were offered by the Committee's Anna Bonelli, Director of Health Policy. The event then featured two keynote addresses from Kim Brandt, Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officerof the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) (above, left) and Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) (above, right).

(Above) Following Senator Welch’s remarks, the first panel on “The Future of Medicare” was moderated by Marc Goldwein, the Committee’s Senior Vice President and Senior Policy Director, and featured Elinor Hiller of Alston & Bird, Ben Ippolito of the American Enterprise Institute, and Tricia Neuman of KFF. This panel discussed newsworthy topics such as the MA overpayment estimates and the recent agency actions to moderate long-term spending. Panelists also discussed solutions to improve traditional Medicare such as site-neutral payments – paying the same amount for the same service regardless of where the service is delivered – among other reforms. 

(Above) The second panel, “Reducing Health Care Costs,” was moderated by the Committee's Anna Bonelli and featured Ge Bai of Johns Hopkins University, Patricia Kelmarof US Public Interest Research Group, Randy Pate of Randolph Pate Advisors, and Chris Whaley of Brown University’s Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research. This panel kicked off by discussing the recent debates on ACA enhanced subsidies and its relationship to high and rising commercial health care prices. Panelists also discussed the benefits and drawbacks of implementing full-scale price transparency.  

(Above) Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) enjoys a cup of hot cocoa at the 4th Annual Health Solutions Summit.

Watch the event here and below:

We hope to see you at another Committee event soon! Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.