State Legislative Priorities:

2011-2012 Session

The Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans will work with Legislators and members of the Governor’s Administration to improve the lives of seniors in the Pennsylvania by addressing issues within these areas:

Quality, Affordable Health Care

  • PARA supports programs that reduce the costs of prescription drugs for low-income seniors such as PACE and PACENET.  These programs should be expanded to help more seniors as they fall into the Medicare Part D “Doughnut Hole”.  Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the “Doughnut Hole” will be gone by 2020, meaning that expansion of these programs will not create unsustainable long-term costs.
  • PARA supports legislation to improve the quality of health care delivery and availability in Pennsylvania, such as setting minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.  Such legislation could have a far-reaching effect on patient care in hospitals, as well as improve working conditions and lower turnover for our nurses. 
  • PARA supports legislation that addresses the accessibility of health care in every urban, suburban and rural location in Pennsylvania.  Seniors need ready access to emergency care, in addition to easy access to primary care providers and specialists.
  • PARA will vigorously oppose state legislative efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act, and deny Pennsylvania citizens the benefits of the new law.  Any legislation to cancel, opt-out or otherwise dilute the provisions of the Affordable Care Act in Pennsylvania would be constitutionally dubious at best, and hurt Pennsylvania seniors, families, workers, businesses, hospitals and doctors just to score political points.

Aging with Dignity and Choice of Housing

  • PARA supports legislation that strengthens and improves regulation of Long Term Care facilities or home care services through the Older Adults Protective Services Act, as well as enactment of the Home Care Agency Report Card Act which would collect and make public information about home care agencies.
  • PARA supports programs to help family members, friends and neighbors care for seniors who need help to stay in their homes.  We would like to see increases to the financial assistance provided to these caregivers, as well as less restrictions on who would qualify for this assistance. 
  • PARA supports seniors’ right to choose their own long term care.  We support improved access to consumer-directed care for patients who want to remain in their homes, which would also save money by directing care away from costly nursing home facilities.  Furthermore, PARA supports better pay and benefits for home health care workers hired directly by consumers, who are currently paid minimum wage through Medicaid dollars, to improve care by reducing turnover among these workers.
  • PARA supports efforts to encourage the construction of affordable housing options specifically designed and reserved for seniors.

Economic Security through Affordable Resources for Daily Living

  • PARA applauds the recent effort to deal with the “pension spike” facing the state’s public pension funds without shifting new hires from Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution retirement systems.  We will oppose any future efforts to employ risky Defined Contribution plans that would subject retirees to the whims of the stock market without any guaranteed savings for the state.
  • PARA supports efforts to mitigate electricity rate increases for seniors now that rate caps have expired.  Seniors on fixed incomes need protection from utility monopolies that can raise rates arbitrarily.
  • PARA supports regulation to prevent the shut-off of heat-related utilities to delinquent customers during cold winter months.  Seniors are especially at risk of serious injury or death from extreme temperatures.  Furthermore, families that cannot afford oil or gas heat put entire neighborhoods at risk of fire by turning to electric space heaters instead. 
  • PARA supports economic assistance for Grandparent Caregivers of children in Pennsylvania, as well as the PA Family Caregiver Support Act which would make it easier for individuals to be reimbursed for medical expenses relating to a loved one’s care.

Retiree-Friendly Budgets

  • A Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for retired state employees is long overdue.  Many long-time retirees receive a pension that, along with Social Security, barely keeps them out of poverty.  PARA supports a COLA as soon as possible.  Preferably, new COLA legislation would not only grant a COLA now, but make future COLAs automatic.
  • PARA supports full funding for all programs currently supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.  As the State faces budget problems brought on by the economy, so do many seniors.  Balancing the budget by cutting programs for seniors is unacceptable and unconscionable.
  • PARA supports restoring the full State Supplemental Payments to SSI beneficiaries, reversing a recent cut to our most vulnerable citizens.  When the economy returns to normal, an increase in this payment is warranted.
  • Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure is experiencing a funding crisis.  The safety of all Pennsylvanians, including our seniors, is in jeopardy as our roads, bridges and tunnels fall into decay.  PARA supports developing new streams of revenue to bring our transportation infrastructure into the 21st Century, for the sake of our safety.

Education, State Revenue and Property Taxes

  • PARA recognizes that cuts in state funding for basic education result in higher property taxes for seniors. Many seniors on fixed incomes are forced out of their homes by rising property taxes.  PARA supports programs that specifically help seniors reduce their property taxes.  PARA also supports shifting the burden for school and local government funding away from the unfair property tax to a more progressive method.
  • PARA opposes privatizing state assets that earn Pennsylvania vital long-term revenue, just to realize a one-time payoff.  These short-sighted budget solutions will result in higher property taxes for seniors down the road. 
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    • The Pennsylvania Turnpike belongs to the taxpayers, and its revenue should remain with them.  Leasing the turnpike would allow a private company to make a profit from our asset. 
    • Selling the state liquor stores would rob future Pennsylvania taxpayers of a large, stable stream of revenue.  Selling them now for a onetime payoff would be shortsighted, and hurt taxpayers down the road.
  • PARA strongly supports opening up a new revenue stream for the state by taxing Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction. This tax would be paid by a highly profitable industry that can certainly expect to pay as it already does in many other states, and add much needed revenue to the state budget without impacting taxpayers. Without this revenue, state funding priorities, such as seniors programs and education, will face serious competition from unfunded environmental issues resulting from this drilling.

Support for Pre-Retirees in the Workplace

  • Full funding of Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation fund is vital to keep unemployed Pennsylvanians in their homes with food on the table for their families during this economic hard time.  PARA calls on Legislators and the Administration to keep this fund solvent.
  • Many working Pennsylvanians still do not have health insurance.  Until the Health Insurance Exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act become active in 2014, these adults have few options to find coverage.  Adult Basic has helped many of these adults for years, and currently has a large waiting list.  Funding for this program should not be eliminated, leaving these working Pennsylvanians with no other options.  This spending priority will only be necessary for another few budget cycles.
  • PARA understands that the best way to preserve programs for seniors is to maintain our tax base.  That means getting Pennsylvanians back to work and back on the tax rolls.  Therefore, we support efforts by state government to support job creation, as well as worker re-training and other efforts to help unemployed workers find new employment.
  • PARA supports the Prevailing Wage in Pennsylvania.  PARA opposes any legislation to weaken penalties or grant temporary or incidental exemptions to the Prevailing Wage. 
  • PARA believes that taxpayer monies spent on public projects or economic development should be spent on American-made products and materials (Pennsylvania-made, when possible), and to pay Pennsylvania residents to complete the jobs.
  • PARA opposes any so-called “Right to Work” (for less) proposals that would weaken worker’s rights to organize and set worker against worker in a detrimental race to the bottom in wages, benefits, working conditions and retirement security.