Community Options for Rural Elders Act of 2004 or the CORE Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the Administrator of Health Resources and Services to work with the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish Programs for All-Inclusive Care for Elderly (PACE) providers in rural areas.
Directs the Secretary to permit a rural PACE provider applicant to adapt its PACE program to the unique requirements of eligible participants residing in rural areas and the challenges of providing services to them.
Directs the Secretary to utilize the authority provided for flexibility in exercising waiver authority under the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, and the regulations issued to carry it out with respect to the operations of rural PACE providers.
Requires the Secretary to waive certain requirements of titles XI, XVIII (Medicare), and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act as necessary for purposes of supporting the delivery of PACE services in rural areas. Directs the Secretary to waive the requirement that a rural PACE provider, in at least its first three years of operation, be at full financial risk, and authorizes the Secretary, upon the provider's request, to waive such requirement for subsequent years of operation if the provider is operating properly and has demonstrated a reasonable basis for not assuming full risk.
Directs the Secretary to award site development grants to rural PACE providers.
Directs the Secretary, through the Office of Rural Health Policy, to make awards to tax-exempt organizations for the purpose of establishing a technical assistance program to provide: (1) outreach and education to State agencies and provider organizations interested in establishing PACE programs in rural areas; and (2) technical assistance necessary to support providers awarded site development grants.
Requires the Secretary to establish a fund to reimburse rural PACE providers awarded a site development grant for outlier costs incurred with respect to eligible enrollees who reside in, or receive services in, a rural area.
Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory group that will review and comment on progress related to providing PACE program services in rural areas, including prospective PACE provider applications.