Rivera’s bill protecting PACE/PACENET eligibility for seniors passes the House
Rep. Nikki Rivera April 22, 2025 | 4:30 PM
HARRISBURG, April 22 - State Rep. Nikki Rivera’s bill to make sure older Pennsylvanians do not lose their eligibility for the state’s prescription drug programs (H.B. 923) unanimously passed the House today with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Co-sponsored with state Rep. Shelby Labs, R-Bucks, the legislation would extend the moratorium on Social Security cost-of-living adjustments for PACE and PACENET eligibility to Dec. 31, 2027. The current moratorium on COLA adjustments is Dec. 31 of this year.
According to Rivera, the Social Security COLA for 2025 is currently 2.5%. 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.
“These programs—PACE and PACENET—provide lifesaving services at a greatly reduced cost to a population that lives on fixed incomes,” Rivera said. “They make it possible so that a quarter of a million seniors, many of whom require multiple medications to treat different chronic conditions, can purchase life-saving medications without having to go into medical debt, or, even worse, decide they must forgo treatment.
“Unfortunately, there’s a problem maintaining eligibility when Social Security cost-of-living increases go up, with over 20,000 seniors then no longer qualifying for their prescription plans.
“I was proud to partner with my Republican colleague to protect PACE/PACENET eligibility for seniors. Supporting our seniors is an issue we can all get behind.”
The bill is now on its way to the Senate for consideration.
Lancaster area seniors who are 65 or older and who need help paying for their prescriptions are encouraged to contact Rivera’s office to learn more about PACE and PACENET. Her office is located at 1560 Lititz Pike, Suite 2, Lancaster, PA 17601-6523 and can be reached by phone at 717-295-3157.