PACE Works. Now Let’s Make It Easier for Seniors to Access It.

This article was originally published on RealClear Health.

For too many older Americans, getting the care they need is much harder than it should be. Often, they face a frustrating maze of appointments, paperwork, and fragmented services.

One model is showing that there’s a better way. And it’s popular with program participants, their families, and taxpayers.

In a healthcare system that’s full of fragmentation and red tape, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) offers something refreshingly simple. It’s a one-stop shop for older adults seeking care while they age, offering medical care, social services, transportation, and at-home assistance.

There’s broad consensus among providers, patient advocates, Republicans, Democrats, and family caregivers that PACE works. It helps families navigate complex health needs and chronic conditions, reduces costly hospital visits, and enables older adults to stay in their homes and communities as they age – where they most want to be.

This successful model of care has been around for decades. Providers have spent years collecting data, measuring outcomes, and proving their value. At this point, the question isn’t whether PACE works. The question is why we’re still making it harder than necessary for eligible seniors to access it.

Currently, over two million individuals are eligible for PACE but lack access to the program. Making sure that these individuals can enroll in the program doesn’t require massive reforms. It just needs some practical policy changes to improve efficiencies, compliantly confirm eligibility, and streamline the enrollment process.

Reforming the way enrollment works would be as good a place to start as any.

Today, someone who decides to join PACE generally can’t begin receiving services right away. Under current federal PACE requirements, enrollment is delayed until the first day of the following month. To an older adult who was just discharged from the hospital or whose health is beginning to decline, this delay can put the individual at risk. It also increases reliance on high-cost hospital care, resulting in unnecessary costs to the overall healthcare system. Care needs don’t wait for the calendar to flip. Enrollment shouldn’t have to, either.

States should also take a fresh look at how level-of-care assessments are handled. In many cases, older adults must navigate separate evaluations conducted by different entities before they can enroll. That process can be confusing for families and can delay access to services. Qualified PACE organizations already have extensive experience assessing and caring for these individuals. Giving them a larger role in that process can help streamline enrollment while maintaining accountability.

We must also reduce barriers to PACE that limit access to older adults who would greatly benefit from the program’s comprehensive approach to care. First, we must ensure that PACE is available in all states across the country.

It is also critical that policymakers expand opportunities for PACE programs to submit applications to serve new areas. Today, organizations can only apply during limited quarterly application windows, but allowing application submissions on a more frequent basis would help bring PACE to more communities while still ensuring appropriate oversight.

None of these ideas are partisan. None are particularly controversial. They’re simply ways to remove obstacles that stand between older adults and a program that has already proven itself.

America is aging. Families are looking for solutions that help loved ones stay independent and get the care they need. Comprehensive models like PACE represent an opportunity to rethink aging in America. Let’s seize it.