House Bill 754 now moves to the Senate for consideration
The Times
Legislation introduced by Rep. Wendi Thomas (R-Bucks) to prevent seniors from losing their PACE and PACENET benefits due to an increase in the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) has passed the House.
House Bill 754 now moves to the Senate for consideration.
“We all know how critical this prescription program is to the 300,000 Pennsylvania seniors who depend on it for their life-sustaining medications,” Thomas said. “Unfortunately, the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustments often push seniors who need PACE and PACENET out of the program due to the increase in income.”
This year, the Social Security COLA will be 2.8 percent and cause approximately 9,200 PACE and PACENET cardholders to exceed their eligibility limits and lose their benefits.
House Bill 754 would allow these seniors to continue to receive their benefits through Dec. 31, 2021.
Act 62 of 2017 permitted approximately 13,000 PACE and PACENET cardholders to retain the benefit that they would otherwise have lost as a result of Social Security COLA increases. Unfortunately, the COLA moratorium under Act 62 is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2019.
“We must do all we can to help our seniors,” Thomas said.
