The
General Assembly should pass legislation providing $50 million in American
Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to expand the Program for All-Inclusive Care for
the Elderly (PACE), advocates said during a roundtable discussion with state
legislators on Friday.
PACE,
which allows nursing home-eligible individuals to instead receive care while
living at home, is currently only available in one county in Ohio -- Cuyahoga
County. Program advocates are seeking legislation to require the Ohio
Department of Aging (ODA) to expand PACE into Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery,
Lorain, Lucas and Summit counties.
Mike
Dittoe, a partner with High Bridge Consulting, said PACE expansion was part of
the Senate version of the biennial budget, HB110 (Oelslager), but the language was
pulled out during conference committee so further work could be done on a
standalone bill. After that, Dittoe said, Gov. Mike DeWine suggested spending
$50 million in ARPA dollars on PACE expansion, and stakeholders determined they
could create six new sites with that level of funding. That proposal was
introduced as HB600 (Roemer), and was referred to the House Finance Committee
in March.
“We
have not had a hearing on that bill yet, but really the point of the bill was
to continue the conversation, much like we’re having today. We never fully
intended that HB600 would necessarily be the vehicle, but we wanted to continue
the conversation on the PACE expansion,” Dittoe said, noting ODA and the Ohio
Department of Medicaid (ODM) have been working with advocates on the bill, and
there is widespread agreement on the latest legislative language.
“What
we are asking of our legislative attendees today is, we hope that we can
advance this bill in the lame duck session, whether it is HB600 by itself … or
however you see fit as an amendment to another vehicle that is moving,” Dittoe
said.
Lawmakers
in attendance included House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Columbus), Sen.
Tina Maharath (D-Canal Winchester), Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) and Rep.
Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville).
Maharath
asked why zero Democrats have co-sponsored HB600 at this point, with Dittoe
saying he’s not sure, noting that PACE expansion had bipartisan support in the
Senate and that Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) has discussed the legislation
with Democrats in the House.
Ann
Conn, president and CEO of the McGregor Foundation, said her organization has
been managing PACE in Cuyahoga County since 2010.
“When
we took over the program it had 150 seniors that we were supporting. … We now
support over 650,” Conn said, noting the average PACE center across the U.S.
serves 500 seniors.
Conn
provided an overview of the program, saying it serves individuals 55 and older
who are eligible for Medicaid or those who are dually eligible for Medicaid and
Medicare. PACE is a provider-based managed care program that assumes full
financial risk for primary, acute and long-term care services they provide.
Services provided by PACE include adult day health services, personal care
services, inpatient hospital care, prescription drugs, physical therapy and nursing
home care, among others.
Patrick
Schwartz, director of government affairs and communications at LeadingAge Ohio,
said PACE would also provide financial benefits for the state, as it costs
$1,100 a month less than MyCare Ohio.
Conn
told Russo that 10 percent of the PACE participants in Cuyahoga County are
Medicaid only, while 90 percent are dually eligible. Conn told Maharath that 60
percent of the participants are Black, while 30 percent are Hispanic and 10
percent are White.
Craig
suggested churches could be used to spread the message about PACE as the
program expands, and Conn said 25 percent of Cuyahoga County’s participants
were referred by the faith community.
Conn
told Richardson that PACE in Cuyahoga County hasn’t had more applicants than
resources at this point. Conn did say the process is cumbersome, as it takes 45
days to get enrolled and it has to occur on the first of the month. Conn said
her program enrolls 20 to 25 people a month, and hasn’t ever had to turn anyone
away because of space.
Conn
told Richardson that PACE continues to pay for participants who eventually need
to be placed in a nursing home, but only about 10 percent do. She said about 90
percent stay in their homes or in assisted living until they pass away.
Friday’s
event took place at the National Church Residences Rt. 161 location in
Columbus. Other participants at the event included the following:
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Mark Ricketts, president and CEO of National Church Residences
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Jacob Swint, vice president of strategic growth and operations at National
Church Residences
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Mica Rees, chief brand and growth officer at Ohio Living
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Wendy Price Kiser, division executive of home health and hospice at Ohio Living
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Kerry Hamilton, chief strategy officer at Ohio’s Hospice
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Paul Soczynski, senior vice president of health care program development at
Volunteers of America
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Susan Wallace, president and CEO of LeadingAge Ohio.