Reps. Shelby Labs (R-Bucks) and Nikki Rivera (D-Lancaster) announced that their legislation, House Bill 923, which seeks to protect thousands of Pennsylvania seniors from losing access to affordable prescription drug coverage, was signed into law Tuesday.
The new law, Act 49 of 2025, extends the current Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) moratorium for the PACE and PACENET programs through Dec. 31, 2027. Without this extension, over 22,000 older Pennsylvanians would have faced disruptions in their benefits due to modest increases in Social Security income.
“Many seniors need COLA increases to help with rising costs,” said Labs. “They should not be penalized by losing access to essential prescription programs. This law ensures continued eligibility for thousands of PACE and PACENET enrollees and preserves the integrity of the programs that help seniors afford their medications.”
The PACE and PACENET programs serve over 250,000 older Pennsylvanians. Without the extension, approximately 10,000 PACENET enrollees would have lost coverage and another 12,000 PACE enrollees would have been downgraded to PACENET, resulting in higher copayments and loss of premium assistance.
The COLA moratorium was originally extended under Act 62 of 2023 and was set to expire at the end of 2025. This new law continues the moratorium for an additional two years.
Questions about eligibility or applying for PACE or PACENET can be directed to the Department of Aging or Labs’ office.
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