Seniors

Heating-Assistance:

I was pleased to support a new law that will enable Pennsylvania to bolster heating-assistance efforts for the first time in the state’s history.

This state supplement was necessary because current federal funding for the program falls short. Pennsylvania and 28 other states asked the president and congress for a funding increase, but have received no reply. I will continue to work for more federal and state funding.

PACE, PACENET and Federal Medicaid Plan Part D

Pennsylvania’s Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) allows older citizens who meet certain income guidelines to get most of their essential medications considerable below cost. PACENET is for seniors who have more income, but still need help and has a $40 a month deductible. Governor Rendell and the General Assembly with my enthusiastic support significantly expanded both these programs in 2004.

Many of our commonwealth’s older citizens are eligible both for PACE (or PACENET) and the federal program. Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging has done its best to it as easy as possible for these “dual eligible” to access both programs. Most should not notice any difference. For problems, please contact my office at 215.893.1515.

P.A.C.E. Info:

Services: Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly is a lottery funded program subsidizing prescription medications, insulin, and insulin syringes for qualified Pennsylvania Older Citizens.

Contact: Darlene Shughart, Director, Applications and Enrollments

555 Walnut St. Harrisburg, PA 17101

Phone: 717.787.7313 or 1.800.255.7223

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

Babette Responds to Constituents:

Identity Theft

July 19, 2005

Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about the growing serious problem of identity theft.

At the end of June, we learned that CardSystems divulged 40 million credit card numbers to hackers. Last year, ChoicePoint sold the personal information of about 145,000 consumers to a scam company. Anytime you give personal data to a bank, a university, or a medical provider you run the risk of exposing yourself to identity thieves. According to Newsweek, fewer than one in 700 identity crimes results in a conviction.

I am a co-sponsor to three important bills that seek to address this increasingly common crime.

The first, the Consumer Credit Rights Act, sets new responsibilities for issuers of credit cards requiring that they verify their customers’ addresses and changes of addresses. Under this Act card issuers would be prohibited from unnecessarily collecting and disseminating customers’ social security numbers and required to shred or otherwise destroy discarded records that contain personal information.

The second proposal raises grading of the offense of identity theft so that judges and juries will take it seriously. Additionally, it requires courts to order that offenders not only make restitution to identity theft victims but also that expedited determinations of factual innocence be made when imposters have committed crimes in victims’ names.

The final bill sets up the Identity Theft Database which includes voluntary fingerprinting for victims. It further establishes a three year pilot project in the Office of the Attorney General which would also be responsible for creating a regional information clearinghouse for law enforcement agents, for conducting public awareness campaigns, and for fostering investigational and prosecutorial co-operation at all levels of government.

I will work to make sure all of these proposals are enacted. I am not intimidated by the financial industry. However, the lasting solution to the challenge of identity theft is not to be found in state law. I suggest you make your concern known to your senators and representatives in Washington, so that we can address these crimes on the global level as they must be.

Yours,
Babette Josephs