Siptroth wants PACE eligibility expanded

HARRISBURG - State Rep. John Siptroth, D-Monroe/Pike, joined fellow House Democrats and senior citizens from across the state this week in support of expanding eligibility for Pennsylvania’s PACE and PACENET prescription-drug programs to an additional 500,000 residents. Siptroth said the proposal, which is expressed in house bill 2060, would lower the age eligibility limit to include seniors 60 to 64. Currently, the programs are limited to residents 65 and above. “People who are 60 to 64 fall shy of qualifying for Medicare and the Medicare prescription-drug program. This proposal would keep those 500,000 Pennsylvanians from falling through the cracks,” Siptroth said. There would be no cost to tax payers, Siptroth said. Funding for the proposed expansion was secured partly by aggressive savings measures implemented in 2003. The savings, mainly from drug manufacturers, total more than $80 million. The state also will save an estimated $85 million when the Medicare Part D program takes effect in January, Siptroth said. PACE and PACENET are funded by the Pennsylvania Lottery.