Pennsylvania’s prescription drug assistance programs for seniors, PACE and PACENET, provide medications to more than 250,000 older Pennsylvanians. While many individuals welcome Social Security cost-of-living adjustments to their income, COLA increases usually result in some individuals facing ineligibility.

Act 62 of 2023 resulted in permitting approximately 20,000 PACE and PACENET cardholders to remain enrolled in those programs that they otherwise would have been ineligible for due to the COLA increases. The COLA moratorium under Act 62 is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2025.

The Social Security COLA for 2025 is 2.5% and without extending the moratorium, 10,039 PACENET enrollees would lose their coverage.  Additionally, 12,594 PACE enrollees would move to PACENET, losing their lower copayment and their PACE-paid Part D premium.
 
We are proposing to extend the current Social Security COLA moratorium until December 31, 2027.
 
The intent of our legislation mirrors that of last session’s SB 607, which extended the moratorium to December 31, 2025.
 
Please join us as a cosponsor of this important legislation that will benefit many seniors by allowing them to continue receiving their medications at a low cost.

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 0958: P.L.351, No.91