Lauren and Darryl unpack one of the more consequential conversations AMGA has had in recent memory: CMMI Director Abe Sutton's meeting with AMGA's Board of Directors. Darryl breaks down Sutton's priorities — a push for downside risk, longer and more stable model designs like the new LEAD model, and a genuine interest in using AI as a workforce extender in the face of a looming clinician shortage. Lauren draws the comparison to Adam Boehler's tenure and asks what's really different this time. The bottom line: Sutton heard AMGA's years of feedback on predictability and stability, and he said so directly. Now it's on AMGA and its members to show up, share what's working, and help shape what comes next — because as Lauren puts it, Sutton appears to be “willing and able” to do exactly that.

Lauren and Darryl are co-piloting this week’s Filibusters and Fine Print, where they discuss Congress’s continued focus on healthcare affordability and the likelihood of a major healthcare payment stability package passing this year. The flight includes stops at the AMGA Annual Conference in Vegas, the famed Ways and Means Committee room in DC, and visits to our friends in the Energy and Commerce Committee and the GOP and Dem DOC Caucus. Expect some turbulence on the landing, some old legislative baggage to resurface, and some government interference. We hope you'll fly with us again soon.

Affordability reform is coming but will Congress support positive policy reforms or undermine it? In this episode, we examine the latest congressional hearing on provider-driven health care costs through an AMGA lens. As policymakers scrutinize pricing, consolidation, and payment differences, we explore how these debates intersect with AMGA’s core legislative and regulatory priorities.