Is ACCESS a Medicare plan?

No. A plan is how you get Medicare benefits. ACCESS is a model: extra chronic-care support you can add while you keep Original Medicare. It is not Medicare Advantage, Part D, or a Supplement.

Can I use ACCESS if I have a Medicare Advantage plan?

No. Medicare says ACCESS is for people with Original Medicare. Ask your plan whether it offers a similar program.

Does a chronic condition automatically enroll me?

No. You contact an approved organization, and that organization confirms eligibility. This page cannot say that you qualify.

Will this replace my doctor?

No. Medicare says you keep your primary doctor and specialists. The organization is additional support.

Medicare ACCESS Chronic Care

What ACCESS is

The full name is Advancing Chronic Care with Effective, Scalable Solutions. Medicare describes it as chronic-care support from organizations Medicare has approved. The model began July 5, 2026, and is scheduled to run for 10 years. The support is meant to add to the care you already get. You keep your primary doctor and your specialists, and you can still see any provider that accepts Medicare. The public directory is on Medicare.gov.

A model is not a plan

A Medicare plan is the coverage you choose. Original Medicare is Part A and Part B. A Medicare Advantage plan is another way to get those benefits, usually with a network. A Part D plan is drug coverage. A Medicare Supplement helps pay some Original Medicare costs. You enroll in those, and Annual Enrollment is about Advantage and Part D. ACCESS is not one of those choices. It is a test program from the CMS Innovation Center. You stay on Original Medicare. You do not drop Part A or Part B, you do not get a new network, and you do not get a drug list. You sign up with an approved organization for extra support, and you can stop. The monthly amount, if there is one, is not a plan premium.

Who can sign up

You need Original Medicare and a condition in one of the current tracks. The organization confirms eligibility. A diagnosis named on this page is not an approval. People in a Medicare Advantage plan cannot use ACCESS. A plan may offer something similar. Ask that plan. If you are not sure which one you have, Talk with Alan. That conversation does not enroll you.

Early cardio-kidney-metabolic: high blood pressure, or at least two of high cholesterol, obesity or overweight with central obesity, and prediabetes. Medicare lists the patient cost as free or $6 a month.
Cardio-kidney-metabolic: diabetes, chronic kidney disease stage 3a or 3b, or atherosclerotic heart disease. Medicare lists the patient cost as free or $7 a month. You enroll in this track or the early track, not both.
Behavioral health: depression or anxiety. Medicare lists the patient cost as free or $3 a month.
Musculoskeletal: ongoing muscle or joint pain. Medicare lists the patient cost as free or $3 a month.

What the support can include

Organizations design their own tools. Medicare’s examples include lifestyle coaching, connected or wearable devices, apps, medication management, behavioral health support, and virtual visits. An organization may give or loan equipment tied to the condition, such as a blood pressure monitor or a continuous glucose monitor. Medicare says you should not have to pay to use that equipment, and you may have to return it. The organization’s description is the list. This website does not name or rank organizations.

What you may pay

Medicare’s track list is free or $3, $6, or $7 a month, depending on the track. Organizations may waive that amount. Medicare’s page for beneficiaries also says that if one organization is helping you with more than one condition, it cannot charge more than $13 a month in total. Ask the organization for the amount before you sign up. These are not Part B premiums, and they are not a plan premium.

How sign-up works

You contact an organization in the Medicare directory. Medicare says you can sign up without a referral. A doctor or pharmacist can still help you. The organization confirms eligibility and starts the services it offers. When it can, it shares the care plan with your primary doctor or specialist. Care can continue, and Medicare says you can cancel or switch organizations after the first 90 days. Signing up does not take away other Medicare-covered services.

Conditions Medicare has said will be added

CMS has said that on April 1, 2027, ACCESS will add tracks for heart failure, COPD, substance use disorder, and tobacco cessation, plus a follow-on track for chronic muscle and joint pain. Those tracks are not the current list. Confirm the start date and the conditions on Medicare.gov before you rely on them.

What ACCESS is not

It is not Medicare Advantage, a Special Needs Plan, or SSBCI. Those are plan extras, and the plan decides who is reviewed. ACCESS is also not Extra Help and not a Medicare Savings Program. Other health apps Medicare mentions are a separate topic. An app is not an approval for ACCESS.

Common questions

Is ACCESS a Medicare plan?: No. A plan is how you get Medicare benefits. ACCESS is a model: extra chronic-care support you can add while you keep Original Medicare. It is not Medicare Advantage, Part D, or a Supplement.
Can I use ACCESS if I have a Medicare Advantage plan?: No. Medicare says ACCESS is for people with Original Medicare. Ask your plan whether it offers a similar program.
Does a chronic condition automatically enroll me?: No. You contact an approved organization, and that organization confirms eligibility. This page cannot say that you qualify.
Will this replace my doctor?: No. Medicare says you keep your primary doctor and specialists. The organization is additional support.

My Medicare Checkup

Use My Medicare Checkup for your own doctors, prescriptions, and costs.

Start My Medicare Checkup

Then get your summary, or talk with Alan.

For the other pages on this topic, open the Lowering Medicare costs guide.

Where would you like to go next?

Start My Medicare Checkup

Talk with Alan Explore Medicare Topics