Legislation aimed at ensuring Pennsylvania seniors continue to have access to prescription medications is set to become law. The Senate gave final approval to House Bill 923, which extends a provision that excludes Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) when determining income eligibility for the PACE and PACENET programs. This exclusion was due to expire at the end of 2025 but will now remain in effect through December 31, 2027, pending the governor’s signature.
Senator Frank Farry (R-6), who supported the measure and authored a companion bill in the Senate, emphasized the importance of this legislation. “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.”
In 2018, Farry introduced changes that raised income eligibility limits for these programs, resulting in more than 32,000 additional low-income seniors qualifying for prescription coverage through PACE and PACENET.
