Reps. Shelby Labs (R-Bucks) and Nikki Rivera (D-Lancaster) announced that their legislation to protect seniors in Pennsylvania from losing affordable prescription drug coverage has been signed into law.
The new law extends the current Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) moratorium for the PACE and PACENET programs through December 31, 2027. If this extension had not passed, more than 22,000 older Pennsylvanians would have faced disruptions in their benefits because of small increases in Social Security income.
“Many seniors need COLA increases to help with rising costs,” said Labs. “They should not be penalized by losing access to essential prescription programs. This law ensures continued eligibility for thousands of PACE and PACENET enrollees and preserves the integrity of the programs that help seniors afford their medications.”
PACE and PACENET serve over 250,000 older adults in Pennsylvania. Without this extension, about 10,000 PACENET participants would have lost coverage while another 12,000 PACE participants would have moved to PACENET, which comes with higher copayments and loss of premium assistance.
The COLA moratorium was previously extended under Act 62 of 2023 and was set to expire at the end of 2025. The newly enacted law continues this protection for an additional two years.
Questions regarding eligibility or applying for PACE or PACENET can be directed to the Department of Aging or Rep. Labs’ office.
