Reductions to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) would be the equivalent of stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. That is the view of Craig Worland, chief operating officer of One Senior Care, a PACE provider that serves rural and Appalachian communities across three states. As the discussion surrounding cuts to Medicaid has reached a feverish pitch, Worland continues to advocate in Washington and in state capitals on behalf of PACE, which serves older adults who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid. He reminds lawmakers of the following: Medicaid was designed to serve the PACE population of low-income, medically complex seniors; PACE saves the government money because it presents a lower-cost alternative to long-term care facilities; the program allows beneficiaries to remain where they want to be — in their homes; and if they were not served by PACE, many beneficiaries would forego many needed services, he told McKnight's Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast.
One Senior Care, based in Erie, PA, serves seniors in Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky and soon-to-be northeastern Ohio. Because its population base is rural, one of the unique services One Senior Care provides is driving to seniors’ homes and transporting them to PACE services, Chief Operating Officer Craig Worland said. One Senior Care’s promise is to do what it can to let seniors stay in their homes and communities. PACE is a bipartisan issue, Worland believes. Republicans and Democrats as well as bureaucrats have a favorable view of PACE. With the restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services, oversight of PACE likely will move to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Worland is not so concerned about where PACE is housed, but he wants the government to be aware that PACE is “not an experiment.” Barriers — particularly enrollment ones — need to be removed to grow the program, he said. PACE organizations, as opposed to states, should control eligibility to cut down on red tape and facilitate easier enrollment into the program, he said. He’d like to see every state offer PACE in coming years.
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Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Craig Worland, Chief Operating Officer, One Senior Care