CMMI's New Models: A Snapshot for Potential Provider Participants

The Big Picture

Since the federal government reopened in mid-November 2025, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has announced seven new models in quick succession. The models build on CMMI’s 2025 and are positioned as part of the broader Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Given the timing, we put together an overview to help you start to assess which could be best for your organization, especially as the applications for MAHA Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence (ELEVATE) Model and Long-Term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) have not yet been released. We will provide updates as more information is available.

The seven initiatives include three voluntary models for providers oriented to prevention and management of chronic disease, including:

1. : Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions
   • In conjunction with the ACCESS model, the Food and Drug Administration is administering Technology-Enabled Meaningful Patient Outcomes (), a digital health device pilot. TEMPO aims to unlock innovative digital health devices to support ACCESS Model participants.
2. : Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-based Approaches Through Evidence
3. : Long-Term Enhanced ACO Design

In addition to these three models are four new drug-pricing models aimed at lowering prescription costs (GENErating cost Reductions fOr U.S. Medicaid (), , and ) and a new application window for the (IBH) model that would potentially expand the number of participating states. CMMI has also signaled it will announce a marijuana and cannabidiol-focused model in 2026. Check out Manatt’s more in-depth looks at and .

ACCESS, MAHA-ELEVATE and LEAD: What We Know

ACCESS, MAHA-ELEVATE, and LEAD are all positioned as strategies to improve care delivery for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries and each will offer opportunities for integration with other payers, including Medicaid. Notably, all three models are being announced incrementally, meaning that key details that would-be applicants will need to weigh—most importantly, payment amounts—are not yet available. The table below summarizes what we know so far.