Auditor General DePasquale Praises Action to Make Prescription Drug Program Available to Thousands More Older Pennsylvanians
Auditor General DePasquale Praises Action to Make Prescription Drug Program Available to Thousands More Older Pennsylvanians
Legislation would allow an additional 32,000 low-income seniors to receive PACE/PACENET benefits
HARRISBURG (May 23, 2016) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale praised a unanimous vote today by the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee on House Bill 2069, which would expand eligibility for a program that provides prescription drug coverage for low-income Pennsylvanians age 65 or older.
“I am pleased to see that legislators are moving to expand the PACENET prescription drug program to serve an estimated 32,000 additional older Pennsylvanians,” DePasquale said. “I urge the full House, and then Senate, to approve this important measure.”
In releasing an audit of PACE/PACENET last month, DePasquale commended the Department of Aging’s commitment to helping qualified seniors sign up for Medicare Part D, which helped reduce PACE and PACENET’S expenditures from $538.7 million in 2005 to $190.7 million in 2014.
“I recommended that some of the savings be used to expand access to the program so that even more of Pennsylvania’s low-income seniors could qualify for assistance,” DePasquale said.
“Today’s action by the House committee shows that our audit work is helping pave the way to giving more seniors access to life-saving, or at least life-improving prescription drugs.”
DePasquale said HB 2069 expands the annual income eligibility of the PACENET program from $23,500 to $31,000 for single people and from $31,500 to $41,000 for married couples.
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