CMS Announces New Preventive Health Model: What You Need to Know About MAHA ELEVATE
CMS has announced the MAHA ELEVATE (Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence) Model, a new voluntary initiative aimed at transforming how Original Medicare approaches chronic disease prevention and whole-person wellness. A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be released in early 2026, and the model is scheduled to launch on September 1, 2026.
Through MAHA ELEVATE, CMS will invest approximately $100 million to fund up to 30 cooperative agreements over a 3-year performance period, supporting interventions that promote health, prevention, and sustained lifestyle change for Medicare beneficiaries.
What Is the MAHA ELEVATE Model?
MAHA ELEVATE is designed to evaluate evidence-based functional and lifestyle medicine interventions that support the prevention of chronic disease. These interventions, which are not currently covered by Original Medicare, will complement conventional medical care, offering beneficiaries tools and support to build and maintain healthier behaviors.
This model represents a new direction for the Innovation Center, expanding its testing portfolio to include proactive, whole-person approaches that target behavioral and lifestyle factors linked to chronic disease, such as nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, and social connection.
Why It Matters
Nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries live with four or more chronic conditions, and these individuals account for almost 90% of Medicare spending. Many prior Innovation Center models have sought to encourage prevention indirectly through total cost of care or capitated payment frameworks, relying on providers to invest in upstream interventions in hopes that prevention would generate downstream savings.
MAHA Elevate takes a more direct approach and explicitly tests targeted interventions designed to help beneficiaries manage or prevent chronic disease through sustained lifestyle and behavioral change. By focusing directly on prevention-oriented supports, the model aims to improve outcomes for high-need beneficiaries while generating long-term reductions in Medicare spending.
How MAHA ELEVATE Works
What the Model Aims to Achieve
MAHA ELEVATE is designed to:
Build a U.S. evidence base, including cost and quality data, on the effectiveness of whole-person functional or lifestyle medicine approaches
Empower beneficiaries to take control of their health through sustainable behavior change
Support prevention and wellness, ultimately slowing or potentially reversing disease progression
MAHA ELEVATE is the first CMS Innovation Center model explicitly centered on evaluating evidence-based lifestyle and functional medicine approaches that are currently not covered by Original Medicare.
Who Can Participate?
MAHA ELEVATE is open to organizations that provide (or partner to provide) functional or lifestyle medicine services. Eligible applicants include:
Private medical practices
Health systems and ACOs
Academic institutions
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, and Urban Indian programs
Senior living communities
Applicants must demonstrate both intervention experience and the ability to collect and report data aligned with model goals.
Evidence-Based Design
Interventions included in proposals must:
Support whole-person functional or lifestyle medicine approaches
Be evidence-based with documented success improving health
Not be services currently covered by Original Medicare
Include nutrition or physical activity components
CMS will work closely with awardees to develop and implement plans for data collection, quality measurement, recruitment, and cost containment.
Model Funding and Timing
Up to 30 cooperative agreements
~$100 million total funding
3-year performance period
Two cohorts: one launching in 2026, another in 2027
Three awards reserved for dementia-focused interventions
How to Prepare
With the NOFO expected in early 2026, organizations should begin preparing now by:
Reviewing potential interventions that meet CMS requirements
Assessing existing evidence that supports program effectiveness
Preparing for data collection, reporting, and partnership development
Evaluating capacity to serve Original Medicare beneficiaries at scale
Bottom Line
MAHA Elevate represents a shift in how the Innovation Center is approaching prevention-oriented interventions. Rather than only relying on broad payment incentives to indirectly encourage upstream investment, the model explicitly tests whole-person, lifestyle-oriented interventions, such as nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and sleep, to assess whether and how these approaches affect beneficiary outcomes and Medicare spending. CMS intends to use the results of this evaluation to inform future model design and potential coverage or policy decisions related to long-term wellness supports for older adults.
How Coral Can Help
As CMS prepares to open the first MAHA ELEVATE funding opportunity, organizations across the country will need to assess their readiness, evaluate whether their interventions align with model requirements, and understand the evidence expectations, data infrastructure, and operational planning necessary for successful participation. Coral Health Advisors partners with health systems, ACOs, community-based organizations, and multisector teams to interpret emerging CMMI models, evaluate strategic fit, and support the design of strong, compliant, and implementable proposals. Our team helps organizations understand model requirements and plan for the operational capabilities needed to succeed in a whole-person, evidence-driven environment.
Contact us to learn how we can help your team plan for participation in MAHA ELEVATE.