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MAY 20, 2011 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Pennsylvania Welfare Spending & Medicaid
Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed FY 2011-12 budget would represent the first time General Fund spending on the Department of Public Welfare would exceed that for the Department of Education.
JANUARY 17, 2011 | Policy Report by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
80 Ideas for a Prosperous Pennsylvania
A Blueprint for Transforming the Commonwealth
Pennsylvania must undergo a rapid transformation to reverse the poor policy decisions that have eroded economic freedoms and brought the state to its present condition. To provide a roadmap for success in this critical endeavor, the Commonwealth Foundation has compiled a list of 80 policy recommendations for Gov. Corbett and state legislators to help lead a Pennsylvania comeback. Each of these recommendations links to Commonwealth Foundation research with more information on each issue. Collectively, these recommendations represent a "A Blueprint for Transforming the Commonwealth," which can be found at CommonwealthFoundation.org/BluePrint.
JANUARY 11, 2011 | Policy Report by STEPHEN A. MOSES
Long-Term Care Reform
More Access to Better Care at Lower Costs
Long-term care is very expensive whether provided in a nursing home, an assisted living facility, or in someone's home. Medicaid pays for most professional long-term care (LTC) in Pennsylvania. LTC currently costs Pennsylvania taxpayers $6.6 billion per year, making up 40% of all Medicaid spending (much higher than the national average). Because of the commonwealth's aging population, taxpayer costs for Medicaid long-term care will skyrocket in the coming years absent reform.
OCTOBER 27, 2010 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Health Care Reform: An Update
Before enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Congress had to pass the bill before we'd find out what's in it. Sadly, it's worse than even we thought. This Policy Points presents many of the effects of the new law that have already come to pass.
MARCH 30, 2010 | Commentary by NATHAN BENEFIELD
Who the Health Cares About the Constitution?
Constitutional questions have dogged the health care bill since its introduction. But rather than address these issues head on, supporters of the legislation have shrugged them off. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when asked where the Constitution grants the power to impose an individual mandate to buy insurance, famously replied, "Are you serious?"
This is the same tactic being used by defenders of the federal takeover of health care in response to the lawsuit against the new law. Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, after announcing that he would join twelve other state attorneys general in a class action suit challenging the constitutionality of the law, has been attacked by Gov. Ed Rendell, state House and Senate Democrats, and newspapers across Pennsylvania.
JANUARY 21, 2010 | News Release by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
CF Challenges Gov. Rendell to Explain What's In the Bill
Yesterday, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told Fox News that voters oppose the current health care reform proposal because "the administration and its supporters, myself included, haven't done a good enough job explaining to people what's in this bill." The Commonwealth Foundation formally welcomes Gov. Rendell to join their efforts to educate the public on the latest health care bills.
DECEMBER 16, 2009 | Commentary by KATRINA CURRIE
Five Threats to Pennsylvania's Prosperity
Pennsylvania has long been one of the most economically stagnant states in the nation. For the period 1991-2008, the Commonwealth ranked 45th in job growth, 46th in personal income growth, and 47th in population growth. Pennsylvania has also faired poorly in independent evaluations of states' business climates, in large part because of having the 11th highest state and local tax burden. Not surprisingly, the state also ranks low in interstate migration, having lost 56,000 net residents to other states from 2000 to 2008.
NOVEMBER 12, 2009 | Commentary by T. PATRICK BURKE
Notes on Health Care Reform
Two slightly important questions are being neglected regarding the Health Care Reform bills in Congress: their constitutionality and their morality. Are the bill just passed in the House and that to be discussed in the Senate in accord with the Constitution, and are they in agreement with the fundamental principles of justice? I would like to ask these questions initially about one particular provision in the proposed legislation, the individual insurance mandate.
OCTOBER 20, 2009 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION
Guide to National Health Care Reform Proposals
President Obama has pushed national health care reform, making it a priority. While there is no official "Obama plan," and several different proposal in Congress, the leading proposals have several common themes. Unfortunately, instead of learning from the mistakes of state-based health care reform, these proposals repeat them.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 | Commentary by NATHAN BENEFIELD
Whoops, We Were Wrong...
One of our goals at the Commonwealth Foundation is to predict the effect of proposed public policies. Most of the time, we are proven correct, and humbly announce, "We told you so!"
But sometimes, our predictions miss the mark. Case in point: in a November 2008 commentary, we predicted "Obama's presidency will likely be less radical than his primary campaign proposals and more like the moderated views he unveiled after winning his party's nomination ... He will avoid controversy and not make [Bill] Clinton's mistake of immediately pushing the most controversial, liberal parts of his agenda." Whoops!
