The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a provider-led model that provides fully integrated care to frail adults ages 55 and older with nursing facility level of care needs while allowing them to remain in the community. MACPAC has built a body of work on other forms of integrated care for dually eligible individuals, such as Medicare Advantage dual eligible special needs plans and Medicare-Medicaid Plans under the Financial Alignment Initiative demonstration, but the Commission has not yet provided an overview of the PACE model. Eighty-four percent of the nearly 60,000 individuals enrolled in PACE programs in 2021 were dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
In this session, MACPAC staff presented an overview of the PACE model, including information on the regulatory framework, design elements, enrollment and spending data, and outcome evaluations. Then the Commissioners heard a panel discussion from experts on PACE and discussed areas of interest regarding the model, and highlighted priority issues to address in subsequent stakeholder interviews with state and federal officials, PACE providers, and consumer advocates.
Panelists included:
- Kayla King, PACE and Senior Care Options (SCO) Program Manager at the MassHealth Office of Long-Term Services and Supports
- Sabrena Lea, Deputy Director for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits
- Cindy Proper, PACE Technical Director within the Division of Health Homes, PACE and COB/TPL in the Medicaid Benefits and Health Programs Group, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
