Bipartisan House Bill Will Increase Access to Medical Care and Long-Term Services for Seniors

U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell and John Moolenaar Introduce PACE Expanded Act to Spur Growth of Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly

WASHINGTON, DC – Oct. 27, 2022 – The National PACE Association (NPA) applauds U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12) and John Moolenaar (R-MI-4) for introducing the PACE Expanded Act of 2022 (H.R. 9209) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, which seeks to accelerate the capacity and reach of the existing 148 Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organizations and spur the establishment of new ones, is the House companion to Senate bill 2636, which was introduced earlier this year by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), chair of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), ranking member of the committee.

PACE empowers older adults and people with disabilities to live at home and in their communities despite being eligible for nursing home care. PACE participants receive care and services such as primary care, long-term care services and supports (LTSS), medications, therapies, behavioral health, meals and socialization in their homes and at their local PACE center. All of their health care, nutrition, transportation and other needs are identified in an individualized care plan by a dedicated interdisciplinary team.

“The PACE model has been remarkably successful in helping seniors and Americans with disabilities age and live with dignity in their homes, which is overwhelmingly the setting Americans prefer,” said Rep. Dingell. “Access to this program makes a real difference, but hundreds of thousands of people continue to sit on waitlists to receive home- and community-based services. We must do more to ensure Americans have the option to live independently in the comfort of their own homes. I thank the National PACE Association for its support of the PACE Expanded Act, which will put long-term support in reach for those who need it the most.” 

Michigan has the third highest number of PACE organizations, with 14 located across the state.

“This legislation will help Michigan seniors who need long-term care and provide them with more options, including the potential to receive care at home without having to travel long distances,” said Rep. Moolenaar. “That option means a lot to our seniors, especially in rural communities, who can save time and money by receiving care in their own home. This is commonsense, bipartisan legislation that reduces red tape and makes the PACE program available to more Michigan seniors. The National PACE Association does outstanding work for seniors, and we are proud to have their support for this legislation.”

“The National PACE Association is grateful to Reps. Dingell and Moolenaar for their continued strong advocacy for PACE,” said Shawn Bloom, president and CEO of NPA. “Given the rapidly rising numbers of aging Americans and their clear desire to age in place, it is imperative for our nation to encourage the growth of PACE, a holistic model of care that is well equipped to meet their complex care needs at home and in the community.”

A recent New York Times article reported that PACE is succeeding in allowing older Americans to age in place. 

The PACE Expanded Act would help to increase the scale and spread of current PACE organizations and facilitate the development of new ones by alleviating bureaucratic burdens experienced by PACE programs applying to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to increase their capacities or expand service areas. The legislation would enable older adults to enroll in PACE at any time, test the PACE model of care with new patient populations, and increase the affordability of PACE for Medicare-only beneficiaries.

PACE is a “high performer,” according to a recent analysis of integrated care models by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the Office of Behavioral Health, Disability and Aging Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The study found that “full-benefit, dual-eligible beneficiaries in PACE are significantly less likely to be hospitalized, to visit the emergency department, or to be institutionalized” compared to the control group.

The findings were highlighted in a recent Bipartisan Policy Center report titled “Improving Access to and Enrollment in Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).” The report contains several of the recommendations included in the PACE Expanded Act. Mary Nabor, president and CEO of PACE Southeast Michigan and a member of the NPA Board of Directors, participated in the release of the report.

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The National PACE Association (NPA) works to advance the efforts of PACE programs, which coordinate and provide preventive, primary, acute and long-term care services so older individuals can continue living in the community. The PACE model of care is centered on the belief that it is better for the well-being of seniors with chronic care needs and their families to be served in the community whenever possible. For more information, visit www.NPAonline.org and follow @TweetNPA.