Rep. Cris Dush (R-Jefferson/Indiana), who serves on the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, voted recently to advance House Bill 270, which amends the State Lottery Law of 1971.
The revision would increase the income eligibility guidelines for the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) program. This change would extend prescription drug coverage to more than 17,000 Pennsylvania residents age 65 and older.
The Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) and PACENET programs are funded from proceeds of the Pennsylvania Lottery.
“Nearly 300,000 older Pennsylvanians, who should never be forced to choose between life-saving prescriptions, food, electricity or other everyday expenses, rely on PACE and PACENET programs for affordable medications,” Dush said. “House Bill 270 would allow a significant number of those individuals to maintain their eligibility without interruption caused by an adjustment in their income.”
The annual maximum income limits would increase to $27,500 for a single person and to $35,500 for a married couple in the PACENET program.
The bill also would create two new pharmacy-based programs to assist seniors in monitoring their prescription drug usage.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
If the bill becomes law, it will be the first increase since 2004.