Washington, D.C. (September 25, 2026) – The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) earned national recognition for its work to strengthen the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, receiving a 2026 ASAE Power of Associations Silver Award for MA for Tomorrow. The initiative brings together community health plans and policy experts to advance meaningful reforms that promote quality, competition, choice and the program’s long-term sustainability.
Presented by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the Power of Associations Awards recognize associations that bring stakeholders together, inspire collaboration and drive purposeful change.
The Medicare Advantage (MA) program covers more than half of all Medicare-eligible seniors and continues to grow. ACHP developed MA for Tomorrow around the belief that, like any successful program, MA must evolve to keep pace with technological advances, address unintended loopholes and continue delivering greater quality and value for seniors and taxpayers.
“The next generation of seniors deserves a Medicare Advantage program built for the future,” said ACHP President and CEO Ceci Connolly. “MA for Tomorrow builds on what works today while pushing the program toward higher quality, stronger competition and better value. This recognition from ASAE reflects the leadership of our team and the commitment of ACHP’s members to elevating and enhancing the program for the seniors who rely on it.”
In designing MA for Tomorrow, ACHP took a data-driven look at the existing program and developed practical reforms. The initiative lays out a vision for a program that provides greater choice and long-term sustainability through five pillars: raising the bar on quality, advancing risk adjustment for care not codes, improving consumer navigation, modernizing network composition and transforming benchmarks.
The initiative has already delivered tangible results: reforms to a broker payment system that distorted plan recommendations; a more focused Star Ratings program that puts greater weight on patient experience and health outcomes; and restoration of the reward factor, which recognizes consistently high-performing Medicare Advantage plans.
ACHP’s provider-aligned, nonprofit member companies have served MA beneficiaries with coordinated, affordable, high-quality coverage and care since the program’s inception. According to the 2026 Star Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, ACHP member companies represent 18% of all MA enrollment in 4-star and higher contracts despite covering just nine percent of enrollees nationwide. This positions the organization and its members to shape the program’s next generation.
“ASAE’s Power of Associations Awards recognize the very best of what our community can accomplish,” said ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, AAiP. “This recognition honors organizations that don’t simply advance their own missions – they bring people together to solve complex challenges, strengthen industries and professions, and create lasting benefits for society. The Alliance of Community Health Plans has demonstrated the vision, leadership, and commitment to make a meaningful difference, and we are proud to recognize MA for Tomorrow as one of this year’s outstanding achievements.”
ACHP was recognized alongside other 2026 Power of Associations Award recipients at the ASAE Summit Awards Dinner on September 22, 2026, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
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About ACHP
The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) represents the nation’s best local, nonprofit health plans, providing high-quality coverage to tens of millions of Americans in 40 states and D.C. ACHP is the only national organization advancing a unique partnership model of coverage and care that fosters a truly competitive market.
We believe Americans deserve the best health care in the world. Our members are on the ground in your communities, delivering innovative and competitive coverage. ACHP’s model brings together clinicians and health plans to deliver value for patients, employers and taxpayers.
