Casey, Braun Introduce Bill to Expand Access to Comprehensive Care for People with Complex Medical Needs

The PACE program provides thousands of lower-income seniors and people with disabilities with comprehensive care

New bipartisan PACE Anytime Actwill make it easier for eligible individuals to enroll and access PACE programs

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Mike Braun (R-IN), Chairman and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, introduced the bipartisan PACE Anytime Act. The bill will expand access to the PACE program, which provides thousands of lower-income seniors and people with disabilities with comprehensive care. PACE is a fully integrated care model that provides care through an interdisciplinary team, including medical and dental care, meals and nutritional counseling, occupational and physical therapy, prescription drugs, social services, and transportation. PACE programs provide services primarily in adult day health centers, allowing individuals to stay in their homes and communities. Currently, eligible older adults and people with disabilities can only enroll in a PACE program on the first of every month-the PACE Anytime Act remove enrollment barriers by allowing eligible individuals to enroll anytime during the month.

"PACE programs allow seniors and people with disabilities to receive all of their essential care while remaining in their communities," said Chairman Casey. "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."

"Older Americans should be able to receive the care they need in their communities without cumbersome barriers," said Ranking Member Braun. "The PACE Anytime Act would increase flexibility for low-income seniors and people with disabilities to enroll in the PACE Program."

"No older adult should have to wait until the first of the month to begin receiving care and services from PACE," said Shawn Bloom, president and CEO of the National PACE Association (NPA). "Given the rapidly rising numbers of older Americans and their clear desire to age in place, it is imperative for our nation to encourage ready access to PACE-- a holistic model of care well equipped to meet individuals' complex care needs at home and in the community rather than a nursing facility."

The PACE program provides comprehensive care for low-income seniors and people with disabilities ages 55 and up by integrating Medicare coverage and Medicaid long-term care. PACE's interdisciplinary approach and wrap-around care enables nearly 70,000 Americans across 32 states and the District of Columbia to remain in their homes, which is overwhelmingly where they prefer to live. PACE programs provide health care and supportive services, like adult day services, transportation, and medication management, for some of the most medically complex Americans. Enrollment in a PACE program has been shown to result in fewer hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room as well as reduced caregiver burden for family members.

Chairman Casey has long championed long term care services, especially those that allow individuals to remain in their homes and communities. Casey has fought to increase access to home and community based services and recently introduced the Long Term Care Workforce Support Act to address workforce shortages. These efforts allow older Americans to age in place. The PACE Anytime Act also builds on Casey's work to better serve individuals that are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. In March 2024, Casey introduced the Helping States Integrate Medicare and Medicaid Act, which would provide funding to states to better integrate these two programs.

Read more about the PACE Anytime Act here.

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