PACE in West Michigan

What is PACE, and who qualifies in Michigan?

PACE -- the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly -- combines medical care, a day center and in-home support under one team. MDHHS lists these requirements: at least 55, meets Medicaid long-term care criteria, lives in the program's approved area, can live safely in the community at enrollment, and is not enrolled in MI Choice or an HMO at the same time.

Source: MDHHS PACE program page

Which PACE programs serve Grand Rapids and West Michigan?

Care Resources serves all of Kent County plus listed ZIP codes in Ottawa, Allegan and Ionia; LifeCircles-PACE, with a center in Holland, serves Muskegon County and most Lakeshore ZIPs in Ottawa and Allegan. Senior Care Partners, PACE Central Michigan, Community at Home and VOANS cover the area's southern and eastern edges.

Is my parent's town inside a PACE service area?

Check the ZIP code: PACE eligibility depends on living inside a program's approved area, and MDHHS publishes those areas as ZIP code lists. Here is how the towns on this site line up.

What does PACE cover, and what does it cost?

PACE covers all Medicare- and Medicaid-covered care plus whatever else the interdisciplinary team decides a participant needs, delivered through the PACE center, its clinicians and its contracted providers. People with both Medicare and Medicaid generally pay nothing out of pocket; others can pay the Medicaid portion privately.

The trade-off is choice: participants use PACE's own doctors and network. For families already juggling a parent's specialists, that can be a relief rather than a loss. PACE can also pay for nursing home care when it becomes necessary, and some participants live in adult foster care homes -- ask the program how it handles room and board, which participants pay themselves.