CMS Announces First Awards in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Maryland, Vermont, and Connecticut have been selected as the first states to participate in the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model. Hawaii will also participate, pending satisfaction of certain requirements. CMS will issue Cooperative Agreements to each of these states, which will have the opportunity to receive up to $12 million from CMS during the first five and a half years of the model to support implementation. CMS and participating states will work collaboratively to curb health care cost growth, improve population health, and advance health equity by reducing disparities in health outcomes through the AHEAD Model. CMS will issue Cooperative Agreements to up to four additional states in fall 2024. States interested in applying to participate must submit applications for Cohort 3 through the grants.gov website. Applicants are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent by July 26, 2024. Electronic applications for the third and final Cohort are due on August 12, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Resources to support states in the development of their applications are available on the AHEAD Model webpage, including: Model Factsheet and Model Overview Model Overlaps Factsheet, detailing participation eligibility with current CMS models and programs Frequently Asked Questions, which are updated on a rolling basis. For additional information on the AHEAD Model, please visit grants.gov or reach out to the AHEAD Model team at AHEAD@cms.hhs.gov. To stay up to date on upcoming model announcements, events, and resources, sign up for the AHEAD Model listserv. | 