PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly)

A Medicare and Medicaid program that provides comprehensive medical and social services through a single organization so eligible older adults can continue living in the community.

We currently list 206 licensed PACE organizations across 34 states and territories, with 646,764 inspection records in the national dataset.

In September 2026, about 81,416 people were enrolled in PACE through 206 organizations, per CMS. Participants live in at least 33 states and the District of Columbia.

How PACE costs work

PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) is a Medicare and Medicaid program that bundles medical and social services so eligible older adults can stay in the community. With Medicaid there is no monthly premium. With Medicare only, the enrollee pays a monthly premium for the long-term care part of the program plus a Part D premium. Nobody pays a deductible, copay, or coinsurance for care the PACE team approves.

Private pay: someone who qualifies but has neither Medicare nor Medicaid can pay the PACE premium themselves. Each organization sets its own premium, so ask the local program for its rate.
Official overview: Medicare.gov PACE.

Who qualifies for PACE

PACE is open to people with Medicare, Medicaid, or both, in the states that offer it under Medicaid. To join, a person must:

be at least 55 years old,
live in the service area of a PACE organization,
be certified by the state as needing a nursing-home level of care, and
be able to live safely in the community with help from PACE.

The local PACE organization or the state Medicaid office confirms eligibility and handles enrollment.

What PACE covers

Everything Medicare and Medicaid cover, plus whatever else the enrollee's PACE team decides they need, prescription drugs included. One team plans and delivers the care, usually around a PACE center the enrollee visits during the day. Covered services include:

Primary care, including doctor and nursing services
Adult day care, with meals and recreational therapy
Home care and personal care
Hospital and emergency care
Nursing home care when medically necessary
Prescription drugs
Specialty medical care
Dentistry
Laboratory and x-ray services
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
Mental health and nutritional counseling
Preventive care
Social services
Transportation to the PACE center and to medical appointments

An enrollee with Medicare gets Part D drugs through PACE. Joining a separate Medicare drug plan ends PACE enrollment.

Questions families ask about PACE

What is the PACE program?

PACE stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. It is a joint Medicare and Medicaid program run by local PACE organizations. One care team coordinates everything an enrollee needs: doctors, nursing, therapy, prescriptions, meals, and transportation, usually built around a day center. The goal is to keep people who qualify for nursing-home-level care living safely at home instead.

How much does the PACE program cost?

It depends on your coverage. If you have Medicaid, or both Medicare and Medicaid, you pay no monthly premium for the long-term care part of PACE, and no deductible or copay for any service the PACE care team approves. If you have Medicare but not Medicaid, you pay a monthly premium for the long-term care portion plus a premium for Medicare Part D drugs. Each PACE organization sets its own premium, so ask the local program for its rate. Someone with neither Medicare nor Medicaid can pay the premium themselves.

Does Medi-Cal cover the PACE program?

Yes. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program, so Medi-Cal members who qualify for PACE pay no monthly premium and no copays for approved services. California has one of the largest networks of PACE organizations in the country. Our California PACE page lists the programs we track there.

Can you leave PACE after joining?

Yes. Enrollment is voluntary. You can leave the program and return to regular Medicare or Medicaid coverage, and you can also rejoin later if you still qualify. Ask the PACE organization how disenrollment timing works before you sign up.

Can I keep my own doctor in PACE?

Usually not. PACE provides primary care through its own team and contracts with its own specialists and hospitals. Some organizations have community physicians in their network, so ask before enrolling if keeping a specific doctor matters.

What happens if I move out of the service area?

You have to disenroll, because PACE can only serve addresses inside its approved ZIP codes. Coverage returns to regular Medicare and Medicaid the month after you leave, and you can enroll in another PACE organization if your new address is in one.

Program rules from Medicare.gov, which also lists the covered services above.

How to find a PACE program and what enrolling changes

The questions families bring to this page are about the program itself: what it costs, who qualifies, and what you give up. The short answers are in the FAQ above. This section covers the part people find out late, which is how enrollment actually works.

Finding a program that serves your address

PACE organizations are approved for fixed ZIP-code service areas. Medicare.gov's PACE finder searches by address and is the fastest way to learn whether any program covers you. Our state pages list every organization we have on file by county, which helps when a city page is empty: the organization serving you is often based in the next city over.

What changes when you enroll

PACE becomes your Medicare and Medicaid coverage. You use the program's doctors, specialists and hospitals, and the care team decides what services the program pays for. That trade is what makes the bundle possible, and it is the reason to ask about the program's providers before you sign. You can disenroll at any time, effective the first of the next month, and regular coverage resumes.

The state does the level-of-care assessment, and it can take weeks. Ask the organization how long intake is running and whether the nearest day center has a waiting list. If the person has Medicare but not Medicaid, get the monthly premium in writing; it varies widely between organizations.

Sources: Medicare.gov: PACE · National PACE Association. Checked 2026-09-07.