CMS has unveiled the “Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence,” or Elevate, model, a voluntary initiative that will fund up to 30 chronic disease prevention and health promotion pilot projects aimed at integrating lifestyle and evidence-based functional medicine into original Medicare.
A notice of funding opportunity will be released by CMS in early 2026. The first cohort will launch Sept. 1, 2026, and the second will kick off the next year, according to a Dec. 11 news release shared with Becker’s.
The MAHA-Elevate model will test interventions like physical activity, nutrition and other wellness-focused strategies that are not covered by Medicare currently, with the goal of slowing or preventing chronic disease. Organizations that participate will receive around $3 million over three years to collect cost, quality and health outcome data.
“CMS will test evidence-based functional or lifestyle medicine interventions currently not covered by Medicare through cooperative agreements with organizations that have already demonstrated success integrating these approaches into conventional medical care with scientifically documented improvements in health,” the release said.
Emily Brower, president and CEO of the National Association of ACOs, said in a Dec. 11 statement that many accountable care organizations use shared savings to fund preventive interventions, like as physical activity and nutrition programs, to help prevent or improve chronic conditions. She said ACOs are expected to be interested in building on these efforts through the MAHA Elevate opportunity to advance preventive and integrative care strategies that could help shape future Medicare payment policies.
“We look forward to rapidly scaling any MAHA Elevate interventions that help keep seniors healthy,” Ms. Brower said. “This will help better align benefits with those that many Medicare Advantage plans offer to beneficiaries.”
