PACE: all-inclusive care that keeps a parent at home.

Four conditions: you are 55 or older, you live in the service area of a PACE organization, you are certified by the state as needing a nursing-home level of care, and you can live safely in the community with PACE support at the time you enroll. You do not have to be on Medi-Cal to qualify, but most participants are dual-eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal.

Effectively everything. Primary and specialty medical care, hospital and nursing-facility care when needed, prescription drugs, physical and occupational therapy, the PACE day center, personal care, social services, meals, dentistry, vision, and transportation to the center and to medical appointments. One interdisciplinary team coordinates all of it, which is the core difference from piecing services together yourself.

For a participant who has Medi-Cal, PACE generally costs nothing: no premium, no copay, no deductible for covered services. A participant who has Medicare but not Medi-Cal pays a monthly premium for the long-term-care portion and the Part D drug portion, but no deductibles or copays for covered services. There is never a charge for the team's care coordination.

Assisted living is a place you live and pay for, licensed as an RCFE, and it does not include your medical care. PACE is a care program, not a residence: you keep living at home (or in your own assisted-living unit) and PACE delivers and pays for your medical and supportive services through its team and center. Some participants use PACE while living in assisted living.

No. PACE organizations operate in defined service areas, mostly around metropolitan counties, and California has been expanding them. You must live in a participating organization's service area to enroll. CalPACE maintains the current list of California programs and the ZIP codes each one covers.

Yes. Enrollment is voluntary and can be ended at any time, for any reason. Because PACE replaces your regular Medicare and Medi-Cal delivery while you are enrolled, disenrolling means transitioning back to standard Medicare and Medi-Cal coverage, which the PACE team will help arrange.