Sarasota Senior AdvisorWhat is the difference between SMMC LTC and PACE?
An SMMC long-term care plan pays for long-term services such as home care, adult day care and assisted living services while medical care stays with Medicare and your doctors; PACE replaces both with one team, a day center and the PACE physician as your primary care doctor.
Both require nursing facility level of care. PACE also requires age 55 or older and living in the service area.
Which is easier to get into around Sarasota?
PACE enrollment does not use the ADRC wait list for home and community-based services, so for a Manatee or Sarasota resident who qualifies, Stratum PACE may start sooner; AHCA's August 2026 report shows 31 of its 150 approved slots in use.
SMMC LTC home and community-based enrollment usually starts with ADRC screening and a wait list ranked by need.
Can someone in PACE live in assisted living?
Yes; PACE can pay for care services for a participant who lives in an ALF, and Florida's DCF standards list a separate personal needs allowance for ALF-PACE residents (room and board plus 20 percent of the poverty level).
Ask the PACE team which ALFs they already work with.
Can someone switch from a Medicaid long-term care plan to PACE?
Yes; a person enrolled in an SMMC long-term care plan who lives in a PACE service area can choose to disenroll and join PACE, with the change taking effect on the first of a month after PACE's assessment and enrollment agreement.
Florida Medicaid's choice counselors at 1-877-711-3662 can explain the timing.
Which option suits someone with a lot of medical appointments?
Usually PACE, because the PACE team provides primary care, coordinates specialists, and supplies transportation to the day center and appointments, while an SMMC LTC plan leaves medical care to Medicare and the person's own doctors.
People deeply attached to a longtime doctor often prefer an LTC plan for that reason.
Who decides whether someone meets nursing facility level of care?
In Florida, the Department of Elder Affairs' CARES program (Comprehensive Assessment and Review for Long-Term Care Services) assesses medical eligibility for both Medicaid long-term care and PACE.
The ADRC or PACE organization arranges the assessment.
At a glance
| PACE | SMMC LTC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors | PACE physician becomes primary care | Keep your Medicare doctors |
| Day center | Central to the model | Optional adult day care |
| Entry | Assessment and enrollment month to month | ADRC screening and wait list for HCBS |
Sources include Chapters 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-36 and 65A-2, AHCA, DCF, OIR and Elder Affairs pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
