Medicaid eligibility; provide coverage of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.

HB 179 would have amended Mississippi's Medicaid law to add a new eligibility category for individuals aged 55 or older who require nursing facility-level care, reside in an area served by a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organization, and meet additional program-specific requirements set by the Division of Medicaid. This change would have directly affected elderly Mississippi residents needing intensive long-term care who live within PACE service areas but did not previously qualify for Medicaid coverage under existing categories. The bill’s key mechanism involved updating Section 43-13-115 of the Mississippi Code to explicitly include this group as Medicaid recipients. The proposal aimed to expand access to comprehensive care through PACE programs, which integrate medical, social, and support services. (Note: The bill died in committee on 2026-02-03 and did not become law.)