However, the program’s success and its potential to be a national model are jeopardized by bureaucratic hurdles and insufficient funding rates.
Terry Wilcox, Patients Rising’s co-founder and chief mission officer, calls on Ohio policymakers to establish a fair and stable rate structure that empowers providers to grow. With the right support, PACE can transform aging in Ohio, allowing older adults to live with dignity, independence and better health.
Washington Times: By getting eldercare and PACE right, Ohio can be a model for the nation
By Terry Wilcox – Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Long-term health care awareness and conversation are rising in America, but most have not heard of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. For the nation’s most vulnerable seniors, particularly in Ohio, where officials are trying to get the program off the ground, PACE could be life-changing if properly implemented and managed.
PACE is designed to deliver wraparound medical and social services to low-income seniors who qualify for nursing home care. It is a thoughtful model that works for the patient and the taxpayer, allowing seniors to receive care in their homes and communities, not in an institutional setting such as a nursing home. Though a small percentage of participants qualify through private insurance, most PACE participants are enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. The results speak for themselves: This safety net program has improved quality of life, reduced hospitalizations and kept vulnerable seniors out of costly long-term care facilities.
Best of all, it saves states money. Under PACE, providers receive a fixed payment to manage all care needs for participants, incentivizing preventive care that keeps participants out of the nursing home setting. As a result, the program saves state governments an average of $6,000 per person annually in Medicaid spending compared with nursing home care. It’s no wonder that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz said the program is a “miracle” for older adults.
PACE could and should be one of Ohio’s proudest innovations, part of Mr. DeWine’s legacy and a model for other states. Ensuring that PACE lives up to its promise for today’s seniors and generations to come would be a long-term health care policy win for all.