CMS Chief Economist as cost enforcer

CMS has installed its first Chief Economist to inject incentive‑aware analysis into day‑to‑day rules, targeted internal projects, and longer‑run research. The role is explicitly aimed at tackling affordability, fraud, and coding incentives across Medicare, Medicaid, and the exchanges. Institutionalizing this function at a $2 trillion payer could change how U.S. health costs are governed. — It signals a shift from ad‑hoc rulemaking to embedded economic governance in the nation’s largest health programs, with consequences for spending, fraud control, and plan behavior.