Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) introduced the PACE Access Improvement Act on Sept. 24 to expand the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, according to Dingell office. Bill-tracking services list the measure as H.R. 10547.
Dingell said PACE helps seniors and Americans with disabilities stay at home and argued that too many people still sit on waitlists for home and community-based services. Supporters named in the release include the National Disability Rights Network and the American Association on Health and Disability, alongside aging and PACE groups.
The bill text would, among other changes: allow anytime enrollment with mid-month effective dates and prorated payments beginning Jan. 1, 2027; revise CMS processes for new PACE providers, service-area expansions, and additional centers (including deemed approval timelines); require states to offer PACE as a Medicaid service on staged compliance dates; and loosen certain marketing and numerical-growth limits. Michigan PACE of Southeast Michigan CEO said the state serves only about 6,500 PACE participants despite hundreds of thousands of dual eligibles.
Why this matters
PACE is not an I/DD waiver, but it is another Medicaid pathway that blends medical and LTSS so people can avoid institutions—relevant wherever disability and aging systems share waitlists and DSP shortages. If enacted, mandatory state PACE offerings and easier site expansion would change the competitive landscape for community LTSS provider agencies that already struggle to staff nursing-facility level of care at home.