Medicare’s New ACCESS Program Offers Low-Cost Chronic-Care Support, but Only to Original Medicare Enrollees
Some people with Original Medicare can now seek low-cost, technology-supported help managing chronic health conditions under a new 10-year federal pilot.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the ACCESS model on July 5, 2026. Patient-facing availability began July 6, according to CMS guidance. More than 150 health-care organizations had been accepted for the launch as of July 20, although the participating organizations and services available to patients may vary by condition and location.
What ACCESS provides
ACCESS stands for Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions. The voluntary CMS Innovation Center model tests whether technology-supported chronic-care services can improve measurable health outcomes and control Medicare spending through payments tied partly to results.
Services may include lifestyle and nutrition support, coaching, medication management, behavioral-health support, remote monitoring, wearable or other clinical devices, patient education and care coordination. Care may be delivered in person, virtually or through other technology-enabled methods.
The model is intended to complement a patient’s regular care. It does not replace a primary-care doctor or prevent a person from using other Medicare providers.
Who may qualify
ACCESS is limited to people with Original Medicare who meet the requirements for a participating organization and one of the model’s clinical tracks. Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicaid beneficiaries and people with commercial coverage are outside the federal pilot. CMS says Medicare Advantage plans may independently offer ACCESS-aligned programs, but those programs are separate from the federal model.
CMS initially created four clinical tracks:
- Early cardio-kidney-metabolic, or eCKM: conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, certain obesity or overweight conditions and prediabetes.
- Cardio-kidney-metabolic, or CKM: diabetes, Stage 3a or 3b chronic kidney disease, or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
- Behavioral health, or BH: depression or anxiety.
- Musculoskeletal, or MSK: chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Patients may enroll in more than one qualifying track. They cannot enroll in both eCKM and CKM because CKM includes the relevant eCKM conditions.
What patients may pay
Published monthly cost-sharing ranges from free to $7, depending on the track and participating organization. The eCKM track may be free or cost $6 per month. The CKM track may be free or cost $7. Behavioral-health and musculoskeletal services may be free or cost $3 per month.
Those amounts are not universal prices. Participating organizations may waive cost-sharing, and CMS says applicable charges must be disclosed before enrollment.
How enrollment works
Patients can enroll directly with a participating ACCESS organization or receive help from a primary-care practitioner or another clinician. A referral is not required.
CMS scheduled a directory of participating organizations, covered conditions and related information for launch in July 2026. Patients should verify an organization through CMS before sharing personal or health information because participation and service availability may differ by organization and community.
A small share of applicants may be randomly assigned to a control group for evaluation. Those patients would continue receiving regular Medicare services but would not necessarily receive the active ACCESS intervention.
What to check before signing up
Patients should ask whether an organization serves their condition, what devices or internet access are required, whether equipment is supplied, what the monthly charge will be and whether cost-sharing is waived.
ACCESS is a pilot, not a permanent Medicare benefit. The model runs from July 5, 2026, through June 30, 2036. CMS plans to evaluate whether the approach improves care and controls spending before considering any broader or permanent change.
Sources
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