Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Patty Murray

Democrat on Providing for Congressional Disapproval Under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of the Rule Submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human... 2026-07-16

995 words · 55 sentences · 69 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 88 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 6%Claims 56%Aside 2%Reasoning 12%Positioning 12%The ask 8%The question 4%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Madam President, Procedure · 27 wordsI wanted to talk today about not just how Republicans are making healthcare more expensive but also how they are making it just plain worse for seniors.Procedure Claims · 89 wordsPresident Trump came into office saying he would not cut Medicare, ¹but that was clearly a lie because right now his administration is trying to privatize Medicare; Unearned certaintyin part, by putting AI between Medicare beneficiaries and their healthcare. In January of this year, under Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Oz’s leadership, CMS began this pilot program that uses AI to require prior authorization in traditional Medicare for the first time ever, ²and it is set to run for 6 years.³ They call it the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model.⁴ Aside · 9 wordsWell, they got the wasteful and inappropriate part right.Aside Claims · 18 wordsThe WISeR Model uses AI to deny vulnerable seniors the care they need and that their doctors recommend. Procedure · 3 wordsNot only that, ProcedureReasoning · 58 wordsbut the for-profit contractors that conduct this prior authorization are paid a percentage of the cost of care that they deny.⁵ They are literally incentivized to rip healthcare away from seniors because that is best for their bottom line. When your business model relies on denials, denials are what seniors are going to get, and that is perverse. Claims · 40 wordsWISeR was rolled out in the beginning of this year in my home State of Washington and five other States without safeguards and without any transparency and without the best interests of Medicare beneficiaries at the heart of this program.⁶ Positioning · 40 wordsPresident Trump is saying: Forget the doctors who went to medical school and took an oath to do no harm. AI knows better when it comes to healthcare decisions for our seniors. The consequences of that poor judgment are real, PositioningClaims · 159 wordsand they are life- threatening. I hear from Medicare patients in Washington State all the time. They are suffering debilitating pain for weeks because they are not getting the care they need, thanks to this harmful model--patients like Joanne. She is a Medicare beneficiary from Quilcene, WA.⁷ She went to her doctor for severe pain. An MRI showed that a herniated disk was pressing on her sciatic nerve. Joanne’s doctor prescribed an epidural injection to help ease that pain. This was standard, routine care--care that, before this year, she would have been able to get quickly after it had been recommended by her doctor. But because of this WISeR Model, she had to wait 6 weeks to get approval.⁸ That means, thanks to WISeR, Joanne had to deal with unnecessary, unrelated pain for 6 weeks. Because of this nonsense delay, her day-to-day life was disrupted and the burden fell on her then to fight for the care she needed. Positioning · 4 wordsThis is simply outrageous, PositioningClaims · 38 wordsbut that is also WISeR working by design, Unearned certaintyand that is a direct impact of the Trump administration’s actions. We have seen way too many stories like Joanne’s from States that have been selected for this pilot program. Positioning · 14 wordsNo way should an algorithm decide if seniors should get the care they need.Positioning Claims · 17 wordsThat is exactly why I join my colleagues here in introducing a resolution to overturn this model. The ask · 39 wordsAnd I want all of my colleagues to join me in voting for it so we can make sure seniors in my State and all over the country can, once again, receive their healthcare on time and without interruption. Procedure · 6 wordsLet’s just use our common sense.Procedure Positioning · 21 wordsIt is clear as day that some AI models should never be at the wheel making healthcare decisions left and right.PositioningUnearned certainty Procedure · 10 wordsAnd it is not just patients I have heard from.Procedure Claims · 36 wordsI have met with healthcare providers all over my State. Whether it is a rural hospital or a doctor in Seattle, no one--no one--has had anything good to tell me about prior authorization in traditional Medicare. Reasoning · 33 wordsNow, I ran for office because I believe regular people deserve a say in how their government is run, and that is especially true when it comes to the government deploying AI technology. Claims · 42 wordsI don’t know any senior--Republican or Democrat--who asked President Trump to let AI decide if their doctor-recommended treatment was necessary. Of course, AI can help make things more efficient or do good things. That is not what the WISeR Model is doing. Procedure · 8 wordsSo let’s get to the crux of it.Procedure Claims · 23 wordsAs a country, we make a promise to American seniors: If they paid their taxes throughout their careers, they earned their Medicare coverage. Procedure · 2 wordsFull stop.Procedure Claims · 36 wordsWISeR breaks that promise to seniors with these senseless AI-driven prior authorizations that deny and delay care. Let me be clear, many seniors choose traditional Medicare over other options because traditional Medicare rarely requires prior authorizations. Reasoning · 27 wordsPeople choose traditional Medicare because they want to make their healthcare decisions with their doctor, not with a private company that is out to make a profit. Claims · 15 wordsSimply put, the WISeR Model--which, again, delays and denies necessary care to Medicare patients--is reckless, Positioning · 4 wordsand it is irresponsible.Positioning The ask · 27 wordsI want my Republican colleagues to join us in voting to get rid of WISeR once and for all because this should not be a partisan issue. Positioning · 22 wordsWe all have seniors in our States that deserve the highest level of care without having to deal with redtape and delay.Positioning Claims · 46 wordsThanks to Trump, AI is getting in between our seniors and their healthcare in Arizona, in New Jersey, in Ohio, in Oklahoma, in Texas, ⁹and in my State of Washington. We have an opportunity to stop this harmful experimental pilot program before more seniors are harmed. Positioning · 15 wordsNo senior in America should have to appeal their pain and suffering to a machine.Positioning Procedure · 3 wordsTo my colleagues, ProcedureThe question · 44 wordsif it were your spouse or parent who needed care, whom would you want to decide if they get their treatment, their doctor or a for-profit algorithm? Would you want them to suffer in pain for weeks for care that they are entitled to? Aside · 6 wordsI know what my answer is.Aside The ask · 10 wordsLet’s maintain the promise of Medicare. Let’s pass this resolution. Procedure · 4 wordsI yield the floor.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for
Reasons givenThis statement drew 4 conclusions and gave a reason for each one.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 71

20 of 23 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I wanted to talk today about not just how Republicans are making healthcare more expensive but also how they are making it just plain worse for seniors.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “Well, they got the wasteful and inappropriate part right.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Not only that,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “President Trump is saying:”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Forget the doctors who went to medical school and took an oath to do no harm.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “AI knows better when it comes to healthcare decisions for our seniors.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “The consequences of that poor judgment are real,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “This is simply outrageous,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “No way should an algorithm decide if seniors should get the care they need.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Let’s just use our common sense.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “It is clear as day that some AI models should never be at the wheel making healthcare decisions left and right.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “And it is not just patients I have heard from.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “So let’s get to the crux of it.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Full stop.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and it is irresponsible.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We all have seniors in our States that deserve the highest level of care without having to deal with redtape and delay.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “No senior in America should have to appeal their pain and suffering to a machine.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “To my colleagues,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “I know what my answer is.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I yield the floor.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 100

0 of 23 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

Nothing lost points.

Conclusions found · 4

Conclusion“That is exactly why I join my colleagues here in introducing a resolution to overturn this model.”

Because“The WISeR Model uses AI to deny vulnerable seniors the care they need and that their doctors recommend.”

“No way should an algorithm decide if seniors should get the care they need.”

Reason given
Conclusion“And I want all of my colleagues to join me in voting for it so we can make sure seniors in my State and all over the country can, once again, receive their healthcare on time and without interruption.”

BecauseGiven in the same sentence

Reason given
Conclusion“I want my Republican colleagues to join us in voting to get rid of WISeR once and for all because this should not be a partisan issue.”

Because“We all have seniors in our States that deserve the highest level of care without having to deal with redtape and delay.”

Reason given
Conclusion“Let’s pass this resolution.”

Because“As a country, we make a promise to American seniors:”

“If they paid their taxes throughout their careers, they earned their Medicare coverage.”

“WISeR breaks that promise to seniors with these senseless AI-driven prior authorizations that deny and delay care.”

“Let’s maintain the promise of Medicare.”

Reason given

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 92

3 of 23 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “that was clearly a lie”The word ‘clearly’ asserts certainty about the truthfulness of a past statement without pointing to a source or evidence.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “working by design”It asserts the program’s outcome was intentional without citing any design document or source.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “It is clear as day”The formula ‘clear as day’ substitutes certainty for a cited source or evidence.

Claims · 9

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“President Trump came into office saying he would not cut Medicare”President Trump said when taking office that he would not cut Medicare.search
2“In January of this year, under Secretary Kennedy and Dr. Oz’s leadership, CMS began this pilot program that uses AI to require prior authorization in traditional Medicare”In January 2026, under HHS Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz, CMS began a pilot program using AI to require prior authorization in traditional Medicare.search
3“it is set to run for 6 years”The CMS AI prior authorization pilot program is set to run for six years.search
4“They call it the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model.”The pilot program is called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model.search
5“the for-profit contractors that conduct this prior authorization are paid a percentage of the cost of care that they deny”The for-profit contractors conducting prior authorization under the WISeR model are paid a percentage of the cost of care they deny.search
6“WISeR was rolled out in the beginning of this year in my home State of Washington and five other States”The WISeR model began operating at the start of 2026 in Washington State and five other states.search
7“She is a Medicare beneficiary from Quilcene, WA.”A Medicare beneficiary named Joanne lives in Quilcene, Washington.search
8“because of this WISeR Model, she had to wait 6 weeks to get approval”Joanne of Quilcene, WA waited six weeks for approval of a doctor-recommended epidural injection because of the WISeR model.search
9“AI is getting in between our seniors and their healthcare in Arizona, in New Jersey, in Ohio, in Oklahoma, in Texas”The WISeR AI prior authorization program applies in Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15