CMMI Seeks Lifestyle Interventions That Improve Health Outcomes Under New Model
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation ("CMMI") announced the Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-Based Approaches Through Evidence ("MAHA ELEVATE") Model, designed to improve health outcomes for original Medicare beneficiaries (i.e., fee for service, non-Medicare Advantage beneficiaries) through evidence-based prevention and whole-person care.
As discussed in more detail in our three-part series, since May 13, 2025, CMMI has been constructing a new framework for value-based care that empowers people to drive their own health goals and mitigate chronic diseases, including its recent collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") on a pilot program that permits digital health devices without FDA premarket authorization to provide care under a CMMI program. As part of this plan, on December 11, 2025, CMMI announced the MAHA ELEVATE Model that evaluates the cost and quality of evidence-based whole-person care on the original Medicare population.
The model will fund up to 30 cooperative agreements, with a total budget of approximately $100 million over a three-year performance period to collect quality and cost data on whole-person functional or lifestyle medicine interventions that complement or augment—but do not replace—conventional medicine. All proposed interventions must: (i) not already be covered by original Medicare; (ii) have documented evidence of efficacy; and (iii) incorporate nutrition or physical activity as part of its design. Three awards will be reserved for interventions that address dementia.
Eligible organizations include, but are not limited to:
- Private medical practices;
- Health systems;
- Accountable care organizations;
- Academic organizations;
- Functional, lifestyle, preventive, and integrative medicine centers;
- Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics;
- Community-based organizations;
- State or local governments;
- Indian Health Service/Tribal Services/Urban Indian Health Programs; and
- Senior living communities.
To be selected, applicants must demonstrate that they—or their partners—have experience delivering the proposed interventions and that the interventions are safe, effective, and supported by peer-reviewed literature. Applicants must also show experience with data collection, or a credible ability to collect and report accurate data in a timely manner, with appropriate beneficiary safeguards.
Cooperative agreements will be awarded in two rounds for two separate cohorts—one starting in 2026 and the second in 2027. CMMI will release a Notice of Funding Opportunity in early 2026 for the first cohort, and the model will launch on September 1, 2026.
