Improving Access to and Enrollment in Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)

Washington, DC – After COVID-19 swept through nursing homes across the country, interest in home and community-based care options—like the Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)—grew.  

PACE serves over 60,000 participants in 32 states and allows seniors to live independently while receiving care in their home. The fully integrated, comprehensive care model—available to qualifying Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and private payment individuals—continues to expand across the U.S. to serve an aging population.  

Following a decade of work to advance federal reforms that improve chronic and long-term care for individuals with complex needs, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Health Program broadens those efforts today with the release of a new report, Improving Access to and Enrollment in PACE.

The report, done with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, includes recommendations categorized into four drivers of PACE access:  

• Expand the capacity and geographic reach of PACE; 
• Increase enrollment in PACE;  
• Increase consumer awareness of PACE; and 
• Ensure and demonstrate the continued value of PACE. 

“There is a pressing need for home- and community-based services in the United States, and demand for these services is only expected to grow as the population continues to age,” said BPC Associate Director Lisa Harootunian. “Our report, among other things, explains how improving access to PACE could help address this need and provides federal policy recommendations to aid in the expansion of PACE.”   

While the program currently serves a relatively small number of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, the PACE model has the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce costs while allowing individuals to receive care in the comfort and familiarity of their home and community.  

Read the full report.  

BPC will host an event this afternoon to discuss the PACE program and the recommendations put forth in the report. Watch online.