The House Health Committee heard proponent testimony on HB 750 to expand the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) across Ohio to underserved communities. PACE is a fully integrated care model designed to serve older adults with complex healthcare needs who qualify for nursing home level of care but would like to age in their own home and community. PACE brings together medical care, behavioral health, physical therapy, transportation, meals and social services under a single interdisciplinary team.
PACE is currently operating in eight Ohio counties, with additional sites preparing to open. HB 750 creates a structured, time bound process for expanding into unserved counties, with clear eligibility standards for new providers and federal CMS oversight built in.
Expanding access to PACE also provides important workforce and economic benefits. Across Ohio, many working adults are balancing careers while also serving as caregivers for aging parents or relatives. These caregiving responsibilities often force employees to reduce hours, leave the workforce, or experience increased financial and emotional strain. PACE reduces that burden by ensuring participants receive consistent, comprehensive care through a team that knows them well. Expanding PACE means more Ohio families can count on that kind of support.
PACE also makes sound fiscal sense for the state. By keeping participants in the community longer and out of nursing facilities, and by wrapping highly coordinated care around them that reduces unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations, PACE avoids the most expensive outcomes in elder care. PACE is aimed at getting better health outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and lower long-term costs. That combination is what makes PACE worth expanding. HB 750 remains in the House Health Committee where it has received two hearings. We remain hopeful that the committee will continue to hold hearings on this bill over the coming weeks. | 
