Lawmakers have introduced a new bill that aims to improve access to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Home-based care providers operate – and partner with – PACE programs on a regular basis.
On Thursday, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) — chairman and ranking member of the U.S. senate special committee on aging — introduced the bipartisan PACE Anytime Act.
The National PACE Association has thrown its support behind the legislation.
“It is difficult to get legislation passed during an election year, but we are grateful for the interest of members of Congress working toward improving access to PACE,” Shawn Bloom, president and CEO of National PACE Association, told Home Health Care News in an email. “Each bill introduction also raises awareness of the value of PACE.”
If enacted, the legislation would allow PACE-eligible individuals to enroll in the program at any time during a month. Currently, seniors are only able to enroll in a PACE program on the first of the month.
This enrollment restraint delays care by creating a roadblock for seniors that have changing needs.
“PACE programs allow seniors and people with disabilities to receive all of their essential care while remaining in their communities,” Casey said in a press statement. “While the PACE program provides high-quality, comprehensive care, limited opportunities to enroll have made the program unnecessarily difficult to access. My new bill will make it much easier to enroll in the PACE program and give seniors and people with disabilities the flexibility to receive the care they need.”
In addition to removing this enrollment rule, the legislation would also create the ability to prorate capitation payments to account for varying PACE enrollment dates.
This isn’t the first time Casey has made senior care a priority.
Most recently, Casey introduced a bill aimed at improving the long-term care Ombudsman program.
On the home-based care side, he was part of a group of policymakers who introduced a bill aimed at strengthening the long-term care workforce in April.
Ultimately, Bloom reiterated the need for increased access to PACE programs.
“PACE could be an ideal model of care for many thousands of people who currently cannot access it,” he said. “Increased access to PACE would help solve an intrinsic challenge that the country now faces, that of caring for our nation’s elderly population.”
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