NPA Spring Policy Forum Promotes Advocacy of PACE

The NPA Spring Policy Forum, held March 17-18 in Washington, DC, offered attendees opportunities to learn about and advocate for issues of interest to PACE and to network with their peers. This year’s forum centered on NPA advocacy around potential Medicaid policy changes that could impact PACE participants negatively if implemented.

Keynote speaker Bill Hoagland, senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, said a thoughtful approach is needed when making changes to Medicaid to mitigate the risk of the impact on the vital care provided to older adults by care providers like PACE. Matt Salo, CEO and founder of Salo Health Strategies, offered “Perspectives on Medicaid,” discussing the importance of the program in the health care system.

During a session on “State and PACE Organization Efforts to Raise Awareness About PACE,” Mike Chirieleison, partner and managing director, and Janel Gleeson, senior policy analyst, of DeBrunner & Associates, discussed a public awareness campaign for LIFE programs in Pennsylvania. Sarah Jones, division chief, and Stephanie Pesetsky, PACE manager, in the Division for Community Living at the Ohio Department of Aging, talked about raising awareness of PACE in their state.

Charles Fontenot, senior director of Health Plan Management and Reimbursement Policy at NPA, spoke on “Impact and Risk Mitigation for Medicare Payment Changes.” David Thomas and Dean Rosen, partners at Mehlman Consulting, presented a comprehensive political update.

When the forum concluded, many attendees took part in PACE Capitol Hill Day, visiting with congressional staff to educate them about how PACE organizations provide comprehensive care to more than 80,000 older adults with complex needs. Francesca Fierro O'Reilly, vice president of Advocacy at NPA, urged them to make the most of their visits to inform policy-makers about the vital care offered by PACE organizations.

NPA has implemented an Action Tracker of the New Administration and Congress to keep members aware of the actions of the administration and Congress, their potential impact on PACE, and NPA advocacy on behalf of the PACE community. NPA provides Advocacy Resources for members who are interested in getting involved in promoting PACE or increasing their involvement, and our PACE Learning Center has launched an online learning series about advocacy.