More than 70 House members sent a letter to House and Senate leadership and top appropriators on January 14, 2026 urging the inclusion of language in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prohibit implementation of the HHS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) model or “any related model that would introduce prior authorization into traditional Medicare.”

The WISeR demonstration began on January 1 of this year in New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and Washington and will test the use of artificial intelligence to perform prior authorization screens of essential medical services in traditional fee for service Medicare.

The letter was led by Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Lois Frankel (D-F22), Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Ami Bera, MD (D-CA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). “While we support innovation, efficiency, and eliminating waste, we are concerned that this pilot will delay care for essential services to treat pain, injuries, and chronic conditions,” it says.

The FY26 HHS funding bill is being negotiated ahead of the  January 30 expiration of the current continuing resolution. In September 2025, in its consideration of its version of the bill, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies unanimously adopted an amendment prohibiting implementation of the WISeR model or any related model that implements prior authorization in traditional Medicare.

Read the letter here.