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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 12, 2021 10:09 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Wendi Thomas and Rep. Steve Samuelson |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | PACE/PACENET Eligibility Expansion |
| Pennsylvania’s premier prescription drug assistance programs for seniors, PACE and PACENET, provide life-sustaining medications to approximately 300,000 older Pennsylvanians. The General Assembly has long debated increase in the income limits to the PACE/PACENET program, with the last increase extended within PACENET in 2018. Year after year, the General Assembly has passed legislation that permits those already enrolled in the program to continue their enrollment even with a COLA increase, benefiting thousands of seniors who would have otherwise lost their benefit. This continued moratorium extension has created inconsistent income eligibility guidelines for those enrolled in PACE and PACENET. For example, a single PACENET cardholder who joined the program in 2010 would have a maximum income limit of more than $29,000 this year with COLA adjustments, while a new enrollee could have a maximum income requirement of $23,000. We plan to introduce legislation that will modernize the maximum income limits to allow more older adults to benefit from this prescription drug assistance program. While we applaud the efforts and agree that the program should continue to include those who have received a COLA increase but are otherwise eligible, it is prudent that we examine the eligibility requirements for the program to ensure that it is serving as many older adults as possible. |
Introduced as HB1260