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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Phyllis Mundy |
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House committee approves bill to maintain PACE/PACENET eligibility
HARRISBURG, April 1 – State Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Luzerne, chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, today said the committee unanimously approved legislation to ensure senior citizens enrolled in Pennsylvania's PACE and PACENET programs do not lose their prescription drug coverage due to Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, also known as COLAs.
The legislation (H.B. 2345), sponsored by state Rep. Chris King, D-Bucks, guarantees that seniors who receive a COLA in their Social Security benefits remain within the income limits for PACE/PACENET. Mundy said without the bill, the COLA would put many of the state’s seniors over the program’s income limit requirements costing them eligibility.
"Our committee is working hard to ensure that older Pennsylvanians get as much help as possible to maintain their health through access to needed medications," Mundy said.
"This bill will allow residents to stay enrolled in PACE and PACENET and also collect the much needed Social Security COLA. It is the first step in the long process of ensuring that seniors maintain their eligibility in the state programs they rely on," she said.
The proposal is backed by PACE and the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and is expected to come up for a House vote in the near future.
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