HARRISBURG – Legislation to protect thousands of Pennsylvania seniors from losing access to life-sustaining prescription medications is set to become law following final passage by the Senate, according to Sen. Frank Farry (R-6), who supported the measure.
House Bill 923 – which mirrors the companion bill authored in the Senate by Farry – would extend the practice of excluding Social Security cost-of-living adjustments when calculating income eligibility for the PACE and PACENET programs. The exclusion, currently set to expire at the end of 2025, will be extended through Dec. 31, 2027, when the bill is signed by the governor.
“No senior should lose access to their prescriptions simply because they received a modest cost-of-living increase,” said Farry. “I was proud to author the Senate companion legislation and to have led the effort in 2018 while serving in the House to raise the income limits so more seniors could qualify. We owe it to older Pennsylvanians to protect this lifeline and ensure they continue to get help.”
Farry authored the legislation that raised the income eligibility limits in 2018, a change that enabled more than 32,000 additional low-income seniors to access prescription coverage through PACE and PACENET.
Without the extension provided under House Bill 923, 10,039 PACENET enrollees would lose their coverage. Additionally, 12,594 PACE enrollees would be moved to PACENET, losing their lower copayment and their PACE-paid Part D premium.
Funded by the Pennsylvania Lottery, PACE and PACENET have helped hundreds of thousands of older adults since their inception, providing low-cost prescriptions to those 65 and older. More information about the programs, including the current income limits, is available online, or contact Farry’s office for assistance.
CONTACT: Nicole McGerry