Press Releases

SAN DIEGO – Oct. 13, 2024 – As the National PACE Association (NPA) kicks off its annual conference this week, president and CEO Shawn Bloom called for the removal of a key barrier that is denying millions of Americans access to Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

PACE is celebrated for its ability to allow older adults to age in place by providing high-quality home- and community-based care that is coordinated by a team of health care and service providers. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated the shift toward home- and community-based care as an alternative to skilled nursing facilities. While PACE is experiencing tremendous growth, many people currently cannot afford to enroll in the program because of an unintended penalty on its Part D services.

Unlike other Medicare enrollees, people who participate in PACE are required by federal law to enroll exclusively in the PACE Part D drug benefit. This drug plan costs up to 22 times more on average than the many more affordable Part D plans available to every other person enrolled in Medicare on the open market.

“Congress has a bill under consideration that provides a simple fix with a significant impact,” Bloom said. “The bipartisan PACE Part D Choice Act (S.1703/H.R. 3549) does away with the mandate that PACE program participants with Medicare must enroll in the PACE Part D drug plan and instead allows them to purchase a more affordable Part D plan from the open market.”

Passage of the bill would provide access to a new model of care for millions of seniors and their families, he said.

NPA is convening PACE leaders at its annual conference in San Diego through Oct. 16. NPA will celebrate its 30th anniversary during the event, which will be the most highly attended conference in its history.

SAN DIEGO – Oct. 13, 2024 – As the National PACE Association (NPA) kicks off its annual conference this week, president and CEO Shawn Bloom called for the removal of a key barrier that is denying millions of Americans access to Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).

PACE is celebrated for its ability to allow older adults to age in place by providing high-quality home- and community-based care that is coordinated by a team of health care and service providers. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated the shift toward home- and community-based care as an alternative to skilled nursing facilities. While PACE is experiencing tremendous growth, many people currently cannot afford to enroll in the program because of an unintended penalty on its Part D services.

Unlike other Medicare enrollees, people who participate in PACE are required by federal law to enroll exclusively in the PACE Part D drug benefit. This drug plan costs up to 22 times more on average than the many more affordable Part D plans available to every other person enrolled in Medicare on the open market.

“Congress has a bill under consideration that provides a simple fix with a significant impact,” Bloom said. “The bipartisan PACE Part D Choice Act (S.1703/H.R. 3549) does away with the mandate that PACE program participants with Medicare must enroll in the PACE Part D drug plan and instead allows them to purchase a more affordable Part D plan from the open market.”

Passage of the bill would provide access to a new model of care for millions of seniors and their families, he said.

NPA is convening PACE leaders at its annual conference in San Diego through Oct. 16. NPA will celebrate its 30th anniversary during the event, which will be the most highly attended conference in its history.