Senior living providers may be interested in a newly announced chronic disease initiative, MAHA ELEVATE (Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence). The program will test interventions related to nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, harmful substance avoidance and social connections. It is slated to launch in September and run for three years. Interested applicants must submit a letter of intent by April 10 and complete the full application by May 15. The first cohort is expected to launch in October, with a second cohort following in 2027.
MAHA Elevate aims to:
- Establish in Original Medicare a novel U.S. evidence base — featuring cost and quality data — on the effectiveness of whole-person functional or lifestyle medicine approaches to care, including psychological, nutritional and physical interventions.
- Empower patients to take control of their health through lifestyle changes.
- Prevent illness and promote wellness through novel approaches to supporting people in behavior changes aimed at improving health or slowing and/or reversing disease progression.
CMS plans to support up to 30 cooperative agreements through MAHA ELEVATE, allocating about $100 million over three years. The goal is to gather quality and cost data on whole-person functional or lifestyle medicine interventions that supplement—not replace—conventional treatments. Proposals should focus on services with proven effectiveness that are not currently covered by Original Medicare. These awards will go to organizations experienced in integrating and evaluating such health and wellness methods, with clear scientific evidence of improved health outcomes.
Awardees will collaborate with CMS to plan data collection, quality measures, recruitment, and cost containment. Proposals must include nutrition or physical activity. Three awards are reserved for dementia interventions. Agreements will be granted in two rounds, one beginning in 2026 and another in 2027.