# Plain Language Summary: Territories Medicare Prescription Drug Assistance Equality Act of 2023

Right now, people living in U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands who are on Medicare don't get the same help paying for prescription drugs as people living in the 50 states. This bill fixes that unfair situation by extending drug cost assistance programs to low-income seniors and disabled people in the territories, starting in 2024.

Here's what changes: Medicare has a program called Part D that helps people pay for prescription medications. The federal government also provides extra help to low-income beneficiaries to cover their monthly premiums and their share of drug costs. However, this assistance has never been available to people in Puerto Rico and other territories. This bill removes that barrier and makes these subsidies available to territory residents who qualify based on income. The bill also adjusts how the poverty line is calculated for territory residents—instead of using each territory's own poverty line (which can be lower), it uses the poverty line from the mainland United States, making it easier for more people to qualify for help.

The bill also updates Medicaid (the health program for low-income people) to provide better funding support to territories starting in 2024. This ensures that territories have adequate resources to help their residents afford healthcare and prescription drugs. The changes take effect on January 1, 2024, meaning seniors and disabled people in territories will start receiving the same prescription drug assistance that mainland residents have been getting all along.

Territories Medicare Prescription Drug Assistance Equality Act of 2023

González-Colón, Jenniffer

Territories Medicare Prescription Drug Assistance Equality Act of 2023 This bill makes certain income-based subsidies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit available to individuals who reside in Puerto Rico or&nbsp;another U.S. territory and are otherwise eligible. Current law makes&nbsp;such individuals ineligible for premium and cost-sharing subsidies, but&nbsp;establishes a process for&nbsp;U.S. territories&nbsp;to apply&nbsp;for financial assistance with respect to the provision of Medicare prescription drugs. The bill retains a process for U.S. territories to apply for such assistance, but alters the&nbsp;formula by&nbsp;which the amount of assistance is calculated. Specifically, the bill phases in modifications to the formula that more closely align how assistance is calculated for U.S. territories with how it is calculated for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.