What Is the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP)?

In this article: 

• The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is a lifestyle change program specifically designed to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes among seniors with prediabetes. 
• It’s based on the Diabetes Prevention Program, which has been shown to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes through healthy lifestyle changes. 
• It’s a year-long program with a curriculum to support long-term, sustainable small changes that can help lower blood sugar. The MDPP includes a specific curriculum and structured sessions to support moderate, sustainable healthy behavior changes. 
• The MDPP has long been a covered benefit for eligible Medicare beneficiaries. In 2026, virtual or online MDPP are also included in coverage for eligible Medicare recipients. Lark’s DPP includes a digital coach that lets you participate in the program from anywhere you want, at any time.
• Lark offers a virtual MDPP that you can participate in with your smartphone. It’s available 24/7 for coaching, support, encouragement, and information. 

Learning that you have prediabetes can feel like a big deal, but it can be a window of opportunity to take charge of your health. That’s because for people who are overweight and have type 2 diabetes, healthy lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of diabetes by over 50% - and more if you’re a senior. 

That’s why the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) offer the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP). It’s a program that can help seniors lower the risk of developing diabetes through lifestyle changes, and it’s fully covered for eligible Medicare recipients. In addition, participating MDPP providers like Lark can now offer the MDPP fully online - so you can go through the program from your phone when you want.

As you look through your options to take charge of prediabetes and your health, it’s important to understand the MDPP and why it’s fully covered for eligible participants. Let’s dive into the weight loss and physical activity goals in MDPP, why these types of lifestyle changes can make a difference, and what to expect when you join an MDPP. 

With some of the most useful lessons you’ll ever learn, tools like meal and activity tracking and feedback, and always-available feedback and coaching, a year with Lark’s MDPP can be a year to forever change your life - for the better. Here’s what you should know about the MDPP and what to expect when you sign up.

The MDPP: An Impactful Solution to a Widespread Problem

For CMS to cover the MDPP program, you might assume a couple of things.

1. There’s a major problem that needs a solution. 
2. The MDPP is the solution to that problem.

In fact, both are true!

The “problem” is that 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes. Among adults over age 65, over half have prediabetes! Prediabetes is a warning sign. It means blood sugar is high and you’re at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes within a year or the next few years. In one study, more than 1 in 4 patients with prediabetes progressed to diabetes within 3 years. 

The “solution” is the MDPP. Health experts know how to dramatically lower the risk of diabetes in people who have prediabetes and are overweight. Simple and sustainable lifestyle changes like a small amount of weight loss and an increase in physical activity levels can lower risk of diabetes by over 50%. In older adults, the reduced risk is 71% with these changes!

That’s why CMS supports MDPP by offering it as a covered benefit to eligible Medicare enrollees. It’s an important prevention-first approach - which saves CMS money in the long run, while keeping you healthier for longer. 

The MDPP is important because lifestyle changes can be effective, but they can be hard to make on your own. The MDPP is a structured program that provides information, support, and accountability for a full year to help you make changes to your lifestyle and turn them into lasting habits. 

What to Expect in the MDPP: How a Session Works

When you join an MDPP, you can expect a year-long program with structured sessions. There are 16 sessions in the first 6 months, and 6 or more sessions in months 7-12. Over the course of a year, you’ll work towards goals of losing 5-7% of your baseline body weight, and increasing physical activity to at least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity.

Each session must have certain elements, according to the rules from CMS and the CDC. Here’s what a session includes and what it might look like when you join the Lark MDPP.

Having multiple structured sessions for a year can help you learn new strategies, see what works for you, and adjust as needed. You can find out which behavior changes might work best for your lifestyle so you can keep them up for the long haul. That’s the way to maintain the benefits even after you complete a year in an MDPP program. 

Because of the importance of long-term behavior change for long-term health benefits, Lark’s designed to build habits. For example, you can come into the app each day to log your meal and snacks, enter and modify your workouts, and check your sleep data. 

Plus, there’s always something new to talk about with your digital Lark health coach. It might be talking about a meal you ate or are planning to eat, going over your recent weight or physical activity trends, or learning the next lesson in the curriculum to help you gain skills for a healthy lifestyle. 

Core Information in the MDPP Program: Skills Seniors Can Learn to Lower Blood Sugar

The MDPP includes information on a variety of topics related to healthy lifestyles and ways you can make changes that are sustainable and have an impact on blood sugar. In your year-long MDPP, you can have the opportunity to go through 26 lessons. They’re on nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, and more.

During Months 1-6 of the program, there are 16 possible lessons. They cover the basics like a program overview, the best carbs to choose, and how you can approach meeting physical activity guidelines in ways that work for you. Here are the main topics of these lessons.

The focus shifts in the second half of the program, or months 7-12. You’ll have the chance to learn about establishing lasting habits, getting over setbacks and relapses, and making healthy changes part of your everyday life for the long haul.

It might feel like you’re going back to school when you see the list of topics you’ll cover in the MDPP, but that’s not the case! When you enroll in Lark MDPP, for example, there aren’t any long lectures. Instead, the material is presented in small, digestible chunks. You can go through the day’s information in a few minutes - no need to set aside an hour to focus on a long lesson. And the information is designed to help you succeed - it’s practical and realistic for any senior with prediabetes who wants to make a change. 

What It Means to Participate in a Digital MDPP

Now that digital MDPP are covered in Medicare, the  options are more flexible. You can participate in the program from home. There's no need to commute or schedule appointments to go through your sessions.You don’t have to skip work, schedule childcare, or spend money on gas just to improve your health.

With Lark MDPP, you can access your digital coach 24/7. You can log a meal and talk about it. You can check your weight and physical activity logs. You can learn the next new topic in your program. When and where you’re ready, Lark’s ready for you! Your digital coach is compassionate and understanding, and always ready to talk. 

Who Qualifies? Eligibility Criteria for Medicare Diabetes Prevention at No Cost to You

Now that we’ve answered, “What is a Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program,” are you ready to get started? Let’s talk about who’s eligible!

These are criteria for eligibility. 

• A body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more, or 23 if you are Asian or Pacific Islander
• Enrollment in Medicare Part B or Medicare Advantage (Part C)
• A blood test result within the past 12 months that puts you in the range for prediabetes.

And remember - you don't need a physician’s referral!

You’re not eligible for MDPP if you:

• Have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes previously
• Have end-stage renal disease

Keep in mind that CMS has changed some of the eligibility criteria to make the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program more accessible. For example, there’s no “one-per-lifetime” limit anymore. If you’ve tried a DPP in the past, that doesn’t mean you can’t enroll in an MDPP again.

In addition, CMS now covers digital MDPP in 2026, including fully asynchronous programs like Lark. You can log in and complete sessions from your smartphone, anytime, anywhere. When you need live support, you can connect with a CDC-certified lifestyle coach.

The MDPP is fully covered for qualified participants. There’s no deductible, no co-pay, and no hidden cost. Just a program designed to help you make lifestyle changes that can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. 

See If You Qualify at No Cost to You

Lark's Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program offers personal health coaching delivered right to your phone - built around the same CDC-recognized program that showed a 71% risk reduction in adults over 60. There is no cost to eligible Medicare members.

Lark can help you stay on track with your weight and health goals as you log, track, and chat. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark MDPP or another Lark program today!