PACE in Manatee and Sarasota: What AHCA's Report Shows About Stratum PACE

What is PACE?

PACE, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, is a Medicare and Medicaid program that takes responsibility for everything a frail older adult needs: primary care, specialists, prescriptions, a day center, home care, transportation and, if it becomes necessary, nursing home care. An interdisciplinary team at the PACE center runs the plan of care.

The goal is to keep people who qualify for a nursing home living at home or in assisted living instead. Participants must be 55 or older, meet nursing facility level of care, live in the PACE organization's service area and be able to live safely in the community when they enroll.

What does the state's report say about PACE here?

AHCA files a monthly PACE report with the Legislature. The August 2026 edition shows one organization serving our area:

31 enrollees out of 150 approved slots, after more than five years, means the program has room. It also means many families and even some professionals in Sarasota County do not know it exists.

Who is PACE a good fit for?

PACE suits someone with several chronic conditions, many medical appointments and a family that can support care at home in the evenings and on weekends, especially someone who can attend the day center a few days a week. It suits less well someone with a long relationship with a doctor they will not give up, because PACE participants accept the PACE physician as their primary care doctor.

People who are on Medicare but not Medicaid can still join by paying a monthly premium for the Medicaid portion, which in practice limits PACE to people with Medicaid or substantial resources.

How does PACE compare with a Medicaid long-term care plan?

Florida's main route to long-term care at home is the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care long-term care program. Its plans pay for home care, adult day care and assisted living services, but medical care stays with Medicare and the person's own doctors, and new home and community-based enrollment usually goes through a wait list at the Aging and Disability Resource Center.

PACE enrollment does not use that wait list. For a Manatee resident who qualifies, that can mean help starts sooner. Ask Senior Connection Center (1-800-336-2226) or, in Sarasota County, the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (1-866-413-5337) for a referral, or call Medicaid choice counseling at 1-877-711-3662.

What does a week in PACE look like?

A typical participant attends the PACE day center two or three days a week, where the team checks in, therapy happens, meals are served and the doctor or nurse practitioner sees participants as needed. On other days, PACE may send aides to the home for bathing or housekeeping, and it arranges transportation to the center and to specialist appointments.

If a participant's needs grow, the team adjusts the plan, which can include assisted living services or, at the end, nursing home care, still paid through PACE.

Who pays, and what does a participant owe?

For a participant with both Medicare and Medicaid, PACE generally charges no premium, deductible or copayment for covered care. Medicare and Florida Medicaid each pay the PACE organization a monthly capitation rate, and the organization takes on the financial risk of the participant's care. AHCA's report lists Stratum's Medicaid rate at about $3,529 per member per month.

Participants with Medicare only pay a monthly premium for the Medicaid portion, which is why most PACE participants have Medicaid.

Why is enrollment still so low?

The state report does not explain it, but the pattern is common for newer PACE programs: few families have heard of PACE, many professionals refer to Medicaid long-term care plans by habit, and the requirement to switch primary care doctors deters some people. A program with open slots can be a quiet advantage for the families who do find it, because enrollment does not wait on the ADRC's home and community-based services list.