National PACE Association Supports Recommendations by Bipartisan Policy Center to Expand PACE

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National PACE Association (NPA) announced its support for the recommendations issued this afternoon by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) through the release of its report, Improving Access to and Enrollment in Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). See video presentation.

"While both parties in Congress have introduced bipartisan bills to improve access to PACE, policy-makers should continue working together to advance bipartisan policy reforms that will increase the spread and scale of PACE," said Bill Hoagland, senior vice president of BPC. "This effort would improve care for individuals with chronic illness and address growing demand for comprehensive, home- and community-based care."

The BPC recommendations focus on four primary goals: expand the capacity and geographic reach of PACE, increase enrollment in PACE, increase consumer awareness of PACE, and ensure and demonstrate the continued value of PACE.

"This report is a major step forward in advancing better care options for older adults, providing a clear path forward for Congress and the administration to expand access to PACE," said Peter Fitzgerald, executive vice president of Policy and Strategy at NPA and a panelist at an online event hosted by BPC to release the report.

Many of the strategies put forth in the BPC recommendations are similar to those contained in legislation currently before Congress, the PACE Part D Choice Act and the PACE Expanded Act:

• make PACE more affordable to Medicare beneficiaries by reducing the cost of Part D coverage options;
• enable PACE enrollment at any time;
• streamline PACE applications and approvals; and
• test the PACE model of care with new populations.

"We welcome the support of the BPC," said Shawn Bloom, president and CEO of NPA. "PACE is, at its heart, the definition of a bipartisan solution to solving the nation's crisis of not having enough capacity to care for our elderly population. Growing old, having an increasing need for care, and wanting to receive that care at home affect all of us."

PACE presents a cost-effective solution, supported by both parties, that yields greater independence and better outcomes and quality of life for older adults, he said. "We hope that Congress, bolstered by the recommendations of the BPC, will move forward quickly to enact these important bills."

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 http://www.NPAonline.org and follow @TweetNPA.

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SOURCE National PACE Association