House Majority Policy Committee examine ideas to help more seniors afford prescription medications
Legislation would raise income limits for PA’s prescription assistance programs
Rep. Ryan Bizzarro March 10, 2026 | 1:03 PM
HARRISBURG, March 10 – As costs continue to rise on everything, including prescription drug prices, many seniors are being forced to make impossible decisions. The House Majority Policy Committee convened a hearing Tuesday, hosted by Rep. Regina Young (D-Phila./Delaware), to discuss what can be done to help more seniors afford their medications.
“No one who spent a lifetime working and contributing to their community should have to decide between filling a prescription and buying groceries. Access to affordable prescription medication isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity for staying healthy and living with dignity,” Young said. “We have to continue working to lower costs and make sure seniors can afford the medications they rely on, without having to sacrifice the other basic needs of daily life.”
A livestream of Tuesday’s hearing is available here.
PACE and PACENET, Pennsylvania’s prescription assistance programs that offer low-cost prescription medication to eligible seniors, currently serve more than 250,000 older Pennsylvanians. Earlier this session, the General Assembly passed an extension of the Social Security COLA moratorium for these programs, allowing enrollees to remain eligible for the program if their Social Security COLA exceeds the income eligibility limit. This extension allowed more than 22,000 PACE and PACENET enrollees to keep their coverage and low co-payments.
House Democrats are committed to continue helping older Pennsylvanians. Young has introduced legislation that would allow even more seniors to qualify for PACE and PACENET by raising the income eligibility requirements for the program. Under the proposal, the income limit cap would be raised to $45,000 for a single person and $55,000 for a couple.
Testifiers at Tuesday’s hearing included two Pennsylvania seniors struggling to afford their prescription medications who spoke in favor of the legislation. It also featured testimony from Roy Afflerbach, Government Relations Specialist for the Pennsylvania Association for Area Agencies on Aging.
“At a time when costs are rising across the board, we have to be focused on the everyday expenses that impact people the most. For many seniors, that starts with the price of prescription medications, and keeping those costs low remains a priority of the House Democratic Caucus,” said House Majority Policy Chairman Ryan Bizzarro D-Erie). “We will continue to identify solutions that lower costs and make life a little easier for the seniors who depend on these medications every day.”
Submitted testimony for Tuesday’s hearing can be found here.
Information about this and other House Democratic Policy Committee hearings can be found at pahouse.com/policy.