Charleston Senior AdvisorIs there a PACE program in the Charleston area?
Yes. BoldAge PACE serves Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, according to SCDHHS's PACE program data, from a center at 2801 Ashley Phosphate Road in North Charleston that opened in October 2024; SCDHHS's enrollment snapshot lists 139 members (October 2026).
The center holds a DPH adult day care license, so it appears on our adult day care roster. PACE service areas can be drawn by county or ZIP code, so confirm your parent's address is covered before building a plan around it. The program's information line, as published at its opening, is (855) 801-2653.
What does PACE cover?
PACE takes over all of a participant's Medicare- and Medicaid-covered care, including primary care, specialists, prescriptions, hospital and nursing home care, therapy, home care, transportation and day center attendance, organized by its own interdisciplinary team.
The trade-off is choice: participants use PACE's own physicians and contracted network instead of their previous doctors. In exchange, one team is responsible for everything, which can keep a frail person at home considerably longer. If nursing home care becomes necessary, PACE keeps paying for it.
Who qualifies for PACE in South Carolina?
People 55 and older who live in the program's service area, meet South Carolina's nursing facility level of care, and can live safely in the community with PACE's support when they enroll.
Most participants have both Medicare and Medicaid and pay no premium. Someone with Medicare but not Medicaid can join by paying a monthly premium for the Medicaid portion, which makes PACE expensive for middle-income families. Enrollment is voluntary, and a participant may leave.
How is PACE different from the Community Choices waiver?
Community Choices pays for home and community services while the participant keeps their own doctors and regular Medicare, whereas PACE replaces both Medicare and Medicaid coverage with one program that provides and coordinates all care around a day center.
A parent devoted to a longtime physician may prefer Community Choices. A parent with many conditions, frequent emergency visits and a family stretched thin may do better with a single PACE team. Both require nursing facility level of care.
How does a family enroll?
Contact BoldAge PACE to arrange an intake; the program assesses the applicant at home and at the center, SCDHHS confirms nursing facility level of care and Medicaid eligibility, and coverage begins on the first day of a month.
Ask about transport from your parent's address, how many days a week participants attend, after-hours medical coverage, and which hospitals and nursing homes the program uses. The Trident Area Agency on Aging, which has partnered with BoldAge PACE on Medicaid applications, can explain how PACE fits alongside other options.
Side by side
| PACE does | PACE does not | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Replace Medicare and Medicaid with one coordinated program | Let participants keep any doctor they like |
| Setting | Center the week on a licensed day center | Require moving into a facility |
| Cost | Charge no premium to most dual-eligible members | Come free for Medicare-only members |
| Service area | Cover Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties | Cover every South Carolina county |
Sources: S.C. Code Regs. 60-84, DPH Healthcare Quality, SCDHHS bulletins and charts, CareScout, CMS and VA rate tables, as cited in each answer. See our editorial standards.
