Harrisburg, PA – Governor Josh Shapiro recently signed a bill into law that allows more than 20,000 older Pennsylvanians to maintain their prescription medication benefits despite disqualifying increases in their overall income due to Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).
Specifically, House Bill 923 – now Act 49 of 2025 – extends the cost-of-living moratorium for the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) program and the Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) until December 31, 2027. The original moratorium was set to expire December 31, 2025.
“The PACE and PACENET programs play an important role in supporting older adults and offering tremendous savings by helping them pay for their prescription medications. This new law will allow older Pennsylvanians to remain eligible for this benefit which provides them with lifesaving medication and a cost savings to their fixed incomes,” said Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich. “I encourage every eligible older Pennsylvanian to take advantage of this unique lifesaving program.”
PACE and PACENET currently serve more than 250,000 older Pennsylvanians.
The PACE program, funded with revenue from the Pennsylvania Lottery, began July 1, 1984 to provide comprehensive reimbursement coverage for prescription medications to qualified older Pennsylvanians. The program serve Pennsylvanians 65 years of age and older, many of whom require multiple medications for several chronic conditions.
ONGOING COMMITMENT IN SUPPORTING OLDER ADULTS
The signing of H.B. 923 into law is the latest in the Shapiro Administration’s ongoing commitment in supporting older Pennsylvanians. Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget invested more than $10 million to help the Commonwealth’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging deliver essential aging programs, like protective services, senior community centers, reimbursements for grandparents raising grandchildren and other types of caregivers who are enrolled in the Caregiver Support Program; and reducing the waiting lists for OPTIONS, which provides assistance with tasks of daily living to help older adults continue living in their homes.
Governor Shapiro’s budget also delivered a $5 million investment to help the Commonwealth become a leader in research on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, ALS and Parkinson’s. This funding follows the creation of the Commonwealth’s first-ever Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Related Disorders office at the Department of Aging last year.
Learn more about the PACE/PACENET program along with other programs and services for older adults by visiting the Department of Aging’s website.