Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Wendi Thomas to reform the PACENET program has passed the House of Representatives.
“The General Assembly passes bills each year to allow seniors to stay enrolled if the COLA they received from Social Security is the only increase in their income,” Thomas said. “This has caused a disparity in income levels between those already in the program and those signing up for the first time. This bill is an opportunity to fix this issue.”
House Bill 1260 would expand the PACENET program, which provides medications to more than 300,000 older Pennsylvanians, by raising income eligibility limits to $33,500 for single individuals and $41,500 for married couples. The current PACENET eligibility requirement is $27,500 for single individuals and $35,500 for married couples.
The bill also would eliminate the requirement for PACENET cardholders not enrolled in Medicare Part D to pay a monthly benchmark premium. Instead, the bill would require that the program pay this monthly premium.
The bill now moves to the Senate for a vote.
