Under Obamacare, Pennsylvania families have been forced to pay more for health care, and more than 800,000 Pennsylvania adults have received taxpayer-funded health coverage through a broken Medicaid system. Without Congressional action, states are unable to carry the full burden of Obamacare on their own. However, state policymakers can focus their own reform efforts on giving patients more control over health care and restoring Medicaid as a safety-net program. Access to health care should be measured, not by the number of those with insurance, but by the ability of individuals to independently secure the affordable, reliable care they deserve.

Health Care

Want to Help the Poor? Don’t Expand Medicaid

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • August 29, 2013

Yesterday, we talked about why Michigan’s plan to expand Medicaid was a bad deal for taxpayers. But expansion is a bad deal for patients too. Advocates of expansion make…

Media

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Health Care

Michigan’s Medicaid Mistake

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • August 28, 2013

Michigan’s decision to expand Medicaid leaves Pennsylvania and four other states to decide if putting more individuals into a government program is the best way to offer “affordable health…

Media

Read More: Michigan’s Medicaid Mistake

Health Care

Obamcare’s Premium Shock

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 19, 2013

Young adults who purchase their health insurance are in for rude awakening under the Affordable Care Act. The ironically-named law will force premiums to spike in order to pad insurance companies’ pockets. Is this what…

Media

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Health Care

Medicaid Abuse Shows Downside of Expansion

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 12, 2013

New polling shows 70 percent of Pennsylvania voters think we need to address waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid before expanding the program.  A perusal of the news explains…

Media

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Health Care

The Immorality of Medicaid Expansion

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 9, 2013

Recently, I noted there is nothing moral about throwing more people into a broken Medicaid program without reform. Proponents of the expansion have twisted that statement to claim expansion opponents think no…

Media

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Health Care

Podcast: Medicaid Expansion with AFP

  • August 9, 2013

Does Medicaid really help the poor? What are the consequences of expanding the program? What are the costs involved for taxpayers? How can you make your voice heard on this…

Media

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Health Care

States Use Federalism to Protect Poor

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • July 18, 2013

The debate in the Keystone State on the question of whether to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act looks to be ending. Governor Tom Corbett has successfully pointed out…

Commentary

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Health Care

Obamacare Failure: No More Affordable Care

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 15, 2013

Dan Lopez is a healthy 24 year old who rarely gets sick, and doesn’t see any reason to spend thousands of dollars each year on something he doesn’t use.

Media

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Health Care

Obamacare Failure: Goodbye Jobs

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 12, 2013

Last week, the Obama administration tried to sneak through an Affordable Care Act (ACA) bombshell—the delay of the employer mandate. What does this mean? Basically, it acknowledges that as…

Media

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Health Care

Lawmakers Stand up for Taxpayers, Reject Medicaid Expansion

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 2, 2013

Yesterday, 108 House Representatives voted to protect taxpayers from an expansion of the broken and unaffordable Medicaid program. You can thank them here. Medicaid expansion is an optional part of…

Media

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Health Care

Medicaid Expansion is Risky Business

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 29, 2013

Both Republicans and Democrats have recently engaged in some risky business by pushing for the Medicaid expansion. They’ve been quick to assure state taxpayers they won’t be left with an enormous…

Media

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Health Care

Medicaid Expansion Fails Poor, Taxpayers

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 21, 2013

Medicaid is a failed program that shouldn’t be expanded without reform. That was the message of yesterday’s House Health Committee hearing on Medicaid expansion. In contrast to House Human Services…

Media

Read More: Medicaid Expansion Fails Poor, Taxpayers

Health Care

Budget Could Transform Pa., For Good or Ill

  • Nathan Benefield
  • June 21, 2013

About one week remains for lawmakers to finalize a state budget. But along with a spending plan, a number of major policy reforms remain in the mix. The outcomes of…

Media

Read More: Budget Could Transform Pa., For Good or Ill

Health Care

More Reasons to Pass on Medicaid Expansion

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 5, 2013

Elected officials are standing strong in their opposition to the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, despite a number of “independent studies” touting the benefits of “…

Media

Read More: More Reasons to Pass on Medicaid Expansion

Health Care

Four Reasons to Avoid Medicaid Expansion

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 6, 2013

Medicaid expansion is bad news for all Pennsylvanians. Here are four reasons why: 1. Expansion undermines the quality of health care. Medicaid patients suffer from limited access to care. A…

Media

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Health Care

Reality Check: We’re Overspending

  • Nathan Benefield
  • May 2, 2013

Bad revenue collections and updated projections highlight a big problem in the state budget: We are spending more than we are collecting. The problem is much worse than a recent…

Media

Read More: Reality Check: We’re Overspending

Health Care

Corbett’s Wise Medicaid Stance

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 30, 2013

While advocates of expanding the welfare state are using new studies to push Gov. Tom Corbett to expand Medicaid, his position of resisting the “free money” argument is wise given…

Media

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Health Care

States Fix Medicaid

  • April 26, 2013

That's why leaders in statehouses across the country should do the right thing and follow Pennsylvania's lead. Instead of waiting for dollars and dictates from D.C. to expand a broken…

Commentary

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Health Care

Medicaid Expansion Myths and Facts

  • April 2, 2013

For our fiscal health, and the health of families, we desperately need the flexibility to allow state officials to design a solution that fits the needs of Pennsylvanians-not an…

Fact Sheet

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Health Care

Medicaid Expansion Deals Don’t Deliver

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 1, 2013

Time is ticking for President Obama to get more buy-in on a pivotal part of Obamacare—Medicaid expansion. States are under immense pressure to accept an influx of federal funds in…

Media

Read More: Medicaid Expansion Deals Don’t Deliver