Feb 27, 2022 2 min read

There’s good news for Pennsylvanians struggling to afford medication: More than 100,000 older adults who before did not qualify are now eligible for low-cost prescription medication.

Earlier this week, the state Department of Aging announced an expansion to its Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) program, which offers prescription assistance to qualifying seniors 65 and older.

The expansion, signed into law under Act 94 of 2021 in December, lowers PACENET income requirements by $6,000, opening the program to more than 100,000 additional older adults.

Prior to the adoption of Act 94, more than 250,000 Pennsylvanian seniors were enrolled in PACENET.

Since the program’s expansion, 11,000 more Pennsylvanians have applied, and an additional 10,000 older adults are expected to enroll by the end of this year.

“With the continued growth of Pennsylvania’s senior population in the years to come, safety net programs, like PACE, become critically important to support and maintain,” Robert Torres, secretary of aging, said in a news release.

“The PACE program has served as a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of older Pennsylvanians, offering them financial assistance and significant savings to help pay for their prescription medications. With this new law now in place, I encourage every eligible older Pennsylvanian to sign up for this vital program.”