This Week at the Capitol: PACE Legislation Progresses

Posted on March 10, 2022 by Erin Huppert

This week, the House Human Services Committee took up HF 2283, a bill to allow Minnesota to fully implement the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a nationally recognized and supported community-based model of care for frail older adults.

Through this program, older adults have a team of health care professionals working with them to make sure they get the vital recreational, social, medical, mental health, nutritional and spiritual services they need, allowing over 55,000 seniors nationwide to thrive in the communities they live and work. Thanks in part to compelling testimony from LeadingAge Minnesota member Presbyterian Homes and Services, we are optimistic that the Legislature will enact this proposal into law.

In addition to the House hearing on PACE, LeadingAge Minnesota's advocacy team has been meeting with legislators, working to advance the Long-Term Care Imperative's legislative priorities.

There are divergent priorities for how elected officials would like to spend our state's $9.25 billion surplus. Current events happening locally and globally are occupying lawmakers' minds, especially as they weigh how to balance immediate and future needs.

We've heard lawmakers on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that long-term care services are underfunded and that our caregivers honored their responsibility to care for seniors during a once-in-a-generation pandemic.

What does this all mean? We have a compelling story to share- one that resonates with legislators. We must continue to speak up to make long-term care a must-fund priority this year. Please consider joining us for our Day at the Capitol on April 5. You can register here, or direct questions to Matt Steele, our Director of Government Affairs, at msteele@leadingagemn.org