Puerto Rico's delegate files bill to open Medicare drug subsidies to low-income territory residents
Puerto Rico's resident commissioner, Pablo José Hernández, introduced a bill on October 22 that would make low-income Medicare beneficiaries in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories eligible for prescription-drug subsidies currently available in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The measure, H.R. 10874, titled the Medicare Low Income Subsidy Equality Act of 2026, would amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to make premium and cost-sharing subsidies available to low-income Medicare Part D beneficiaries who reside in Puerto Rico or another territory of the United States.
Medicare's Part D program includes a Low-Income Subsidy — often called "Extra Help" — that lowers prescription-drug premiums and out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries with limited income. Residents of Puerto Rico and the other territories are not treated the same as residents of the states for this subsidy. The bill would change the eligibility rules so that low-income territory residents are no longer excluded, and it specifies that for these individuals the poverty line used to judge eligibility would be the one for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. The changes to the Medicare subsidy rules would take effect on January 1, 2027, while the accompanying Medicaid-related changes would take effect on enactment.
Two members joined as cosponsors: Guam's delegate James Moylan and Representative Darren Soto of Florida. The bill was referred the same day to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Ways and Means.
Your representative
See whether your representative is on this bill
Use your Google, Microsoft, or Apple sign-in to get to your Project Euthyna account. If you don’t have one yet, we’ll create it. We store the census block you live in, and use it to work out who represents you. We do not store your address. We do not sell anything about you, and you can delete your account, and everything in it, whenever you want.
Continuing means you accept our terms of service and privacy policy.