Updated: March 16th 12:20pm ET
The Trump Administration has launched grant applications for a new model aimed at providing Medicare coverage to functional medicine and lifestyle health care providers.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released “Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence (MAHA ELEVATE)” in December. Participants seeking grants under this model must submit a letter of intent by April 10th, with the final application deadline set for May 15th.
In a funding notice issued March 13, the agency said it has selected 30 participants for the model and will receive a total of $100 million in funding. CMS said those participants will be divided into two groups: 2026 model year and 2027 model year.
The agency plans to select participants based on several key criteria, including the model’s holistic design, which includes cost savings. CMS will also examine the budgets, data management capabilities, beneficiary recruitment plans, and administrative capabilities of these interventions.
“Given this model’s minimum beneficiary goals and extensive data management requirements, applicants who do not directly provide clinical care are strongly encouraged to form a partnership with a care entity or organization that provides clinical care,” according to the notice.
CMS says the MAHA ELEVATE model aims to take a proactive stance in disease prevention by combining physical health, mental health and nutritional support with personalized lifestyle choices.
Release date: December 11th at 5pm ET
The Trump administration announced a new payment model that could expand Medicare coverage to functional medicine and lifestyle health care providers.
Under the Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence (MAHA ELEVATE) model, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will make $100 million available to support as many as 30 proposals to advance health and preventive care in three-year contracts.
CMS said on the model’s landing page that it is intended to provide additional options to beneficiaries without replacing health care services.
Abe Sutton, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, said in an accompanying video that the ultimate goal is to “help people with Medicare live healthier lives” by addressing factors such as nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress.
“These programs support innovative care that works alongside conventional medicine to prevent disease and improve quality of life at no additional cost to people,” Sutton said.
CMS said it will launch initial notifications of funding opportunities for this model in early 2026 to secure the first group of participants, with full launch set for September.
The agency added that programs tested under the MAHA ELEVATE model will help inform future coverage decisions and provide important feedback that CMMI can use to build future models.
CMS announced MAHA ELEVATE shortly after announcing the new ACCESS model. It aims to promote the use of technology in the care of Medicare patients. This model has been well-received by health tech companies, which have traditionally struggled with Medicare coverage.
The National Association of ACOs said in a statement that it welcomes the new model.
“The funded proposals will help build an evidence base for preventive and integrated care strategies not currently covered by traditional Medicare,” NAACO said.
“Many accountable care organizations are now using shared savings to deliver patient interventions that have been shown to help prevent or reverse chronic disease,” the organization said. “These include physical activity and nutrition programs. We expect ACOs to be interested in pursuing this opportunity to strengthen local efforts to help advance preventive and integrated care strategies that have the potential to shape future Medicare payment policy.”
The Primary Care Collaborative provided similar support for this model.
“For decades, America’s health care system has prioritized promoting service over promoting health,” said Ann Greiner, PCC President and CEO. “This announcement reflects a growing recognition that our current approaches are not working. We are grateful that the Center for Innovation is committed to a model that prioritizes the collection of data for evidence-based interventions that support prevention, health promotion, and chronic care management to move our system toward more integrated care.”
