Lakeland Senior AdvisorIs a PACE program operating in Polk County?
Not as of AHCA's August 2026 PACE report: Kinship PACE of Central Florida, applying to serve Marion and Polk counties, was pending federal approval with construction expected to finish in November 2026, and Chapters Health PACE Central Florida's Polk application was pended by AHCA because no slots were available.
That means a Polk County family cannot enroll a parent in PACE today. Watch for an announcement from either organization, and ask Senior Connection Center (1-800-336-2226) whether enrollment has opened when you call for a long-term care screening.
What is PACE?
PACE, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, delivers every Medicare- and Medicaid-covered service a participant needs, including primary care, a day center, home care, transportation, prescriptions and nursing home care when necessary, through one interdisciplinary team.
Participants accept the PACE center's physician as their primary care doctor, the trade-off that matters most to people with long-standing doctors.
Who will be able to join PACE once it opens in Polk County?
Under Florida's program rules, a person 55 or older who meets nursing facility level of care, lives in the PACE organization's approved service area and can live safely in the community at enrollment may join; Medicare and Medicaid cover the cost for people with both.
People who are not eligible for Medicaid may enroll by paying a private premium for the Medicaid portion.
What can Polk County families use until PACE arrives?
A Medicaid long-term care plan (SMMC LTC) is the main route to home and community-based services for people who qualify, together with adult day care, Older Americans Act and state-funded services through Senior Connection Center, and private home care.
See Medicaid long-term care and how an LTC plan compares with PACE.
How will we know when PACE enrollment starts?
AHCA publishes a monthly PACE report listing each organization's status, approved counties, slots and enrollment by county, so a PACE program counted as operational for Polk in a future report is the signal that enrollment is possible.
Medicaid choice counseling at 1-877-711-3662 can also confirm whether PACE is available for a given ZIP code.
Side by side
| For Polk County, PACE is | For Polk County, PACE is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Two applications in process (August 2026) | An operating program with enrollees |
| Model | One team for all Medicare and Medicaid services | Just an adult day center |
| Eligibility | 55+, nursing facility level of care, in the service area | Limited to Medicaid recipients |
Built from Chapters 408, 429 and 651, Florida Statutes; Florida Administrative Code chapters 59A-36 and 65A-2; AHCA, DCF, OIR and Department of Elder Affairs publications; and the CareScout and VA rate tables cited on this page. Our editorial standards explain how each figure is checked.
