FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2025

Contact: Tamara Moore, [email protected], (202) 908-6899

Members of Congress Recognized as Champions of Value in Health Care

National Association of ACOs honors dedication to quality care and smarter health spending

WASHINGTON (September 15, 2025) – The National Association of ACOs has selected 13 Members of Congress to receive its annual Champions of Value in Health Care award. The honors were presented during NAACOS’ fall advocacy summit to recognize the impact Members of Congress have made in furthering the movement towards accountable care where financial performance is linked to the quality of patient care rather than the number of services delivered.

“Through the support of Congress, value-based care has grown to support more than 13 million seniors in receiving high-quality, coordinated care that has reduced spending by more than $34 billion since 2012,” said Emily Brower, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of ACOs. “We are grateful for this continued leadership in pushing for a future where accountability means better care for every patient.”

Those honored with the Champions of Value in Health Care include the co-sponsors of two major pieces of legislation that would help advance the transition to value-based care in the United States, and reduce clinician burden.

• Preserving Patient Access to Accountable Care Act (H.R. 786/S. 1460) would extend the incentive payments for qualifying participants (QPs) in advanced alternative payment models through payment year 2027 and maintain reasonable qualifying thresholds for providers in advanced alternative payment models. If passed into law, this would help encourage more clinicians to participate and stay in value-based care payment models. Members of Congress being recognized for their leadership on these bills include: Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Thomas Tillis (R-NC), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); and Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL-16), Suzan DelBene (D-WA-1), Neal Dunn (R-FL-2), and Kim Schrier (D-WA-8).
• Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act (H.R. 483) would reduce burdensome and costly quality requirements by requiring the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to pilot-test reporting approaches and delay mandatory electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) reporting until 2030. Members of Congress being recognized for their leadership on this bill include: Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2), and Darin LaHood (R-IL-16).

“More than ever, we need the strong bipartisan leadership of these champions in Congress to support policies that help seniors get the care they need while keeping health care spending in check,” said Aisha Pittman, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Association of ACOs. “With a shared goal of providing seniors the best care possible, we look forward to continuing our work with Congress to ensure a faster and smoother transition towards innovative value-based care.”

During NAACOS’ fall advocacy summit, more than 70 senior executives and leaders of value-based care organizations came together to build support on Capitol Hill for value-based payment models that have been successful in improving the quality and reducing the cost of care for seniors covered under traditional Medicare. Nearly 800,000 clinicians, treating more than 13 million seniors, have joined alternative payment models, saving more than $34 billion through more accountable care.

For more information on the National Association of ACOs policy priorities, go to: https://www.naacos.com/naacos-congressional-priorities/.

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The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS) is a member-led, member-governed nonprofit of nearly 500 ACOs and value-based care entities in Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance working on behalf of physicians, health systems, and other providers across the nation. These value-based care providers seek to improve the quality of care while reducing costs. NAACOS represents more than 9 million beneficiary lives through Medicare’s population health-focused payment and delivery models.