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.

Government Accountability

Is Pennsylvania’s Medical Malpractice Crisis Over?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 28, 2009

Governor Rendell has declared that Pennsylvania no longer has a “crisis” in medical malpractice lawsuits, citing recent declines in the number of suits filed.  Critics claimed that reform have…

Media

Read More: Is Pennsylvania’s Medical Malpractice Crisis Over?

Health Care

Facts About the Uninsured

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 16, 2009

Keith Hennessey has a great post breaking down the number of people lacking health insurance, finding that only a small number of the reported 46 million uninsured are those…

Media

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Health Care

Is Health Care a ‘Right’?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 13, 2009

Many advocates of a single-payer, government run health care system use the argument that “health care is a right.” But as John Graham points out on State House Call,…

Media

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Health Care

A Bad Deal on Health Care

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 24, 2009

This AP story reports that AHIP and Blue Cross Blue Shield are willing to “compromise” on health care reform – ending the practice of “charging higher premiums to…

Media

Read More: A Bad Deal on Health Care

Health Care

Free Markets: An Unknown Ideal

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 17, 2009

President Obama, Governor Rendell, and many in the media have been echoing a similar refrain recently, "Conservatives had their chance.  We tried free markets, and they failed."  When exactly they…

Commentary

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Health Care

Will Rendell Lower the Cost of Prescription Drugs?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 10, 2009

Governor Rendell announced a number of new proposals increasing the number of people in Adult Basic health care, shifting funds to help with mortgage assistance and home heating cost.

Media

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Health Care

Health Care Policies and Small Business

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 16, 2009

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council has a new report ranking states in terms of their health care policy, as it pertains to small business.  Pennsylvania gets a fairly…

Media

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Health Care

Health Care Policies and Small Business

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 16, 2009

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council has a new report ranking states in terms of their health care policy, as it pertains to small business.  Pennsylvania gets a fairly…

Media

Read More: Health Care Policies and Small Business

Health Care

Try to Reform Health Care

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 3, 2009

The Senate Republican’s unveiled their caucus’s plan on health care, which is largely the same as they had last year, and thus my criticism of that plan still…

Media

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Health Care

Stimulating Government

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 30, 2009

The Galen Institute has a new analysis of health care proposal in the propose “economic stimulus”, specifically proposals moving toward greater federalization of health care, which has indeed been…

Media

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Health Care

What Medicaid Tells Us About Government Health Care

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 12, 2009

In the Wall Street Journal, Scott Gottlieb notes the poor performance of Medicaid, and wonders why President-elect Obama (or Governor Rendell) would want to expand on such a…

Media

Read More: What Medicaid Tells Us About Government Health Care

Health Care

The Trouble with Canadian Healthcare

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 8, 2008

Brett Skinner has an article in The American magazine on why “a single-payer system is probably the least effective way to achieve universal health insurance coverage.”…

Media

Read More: The Trouble with Canadian Healthcare

Health Care

Where will Obama go on health care?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 13, 2008

In our commentary today, Matt Brouillette and I argue that President Obama will pursue a somewhat tempered course – we will get the Obama of the general election campaign…

Media

Read More: Where will Obama go on health care?

Health Care

Medicaid reform: For the poor and the poor taxpayer

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 12, 2008

Cross-Posted at Capital Domes The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently looked at the looming budget shortfall and its potential impact on Medicaid spending. The legislature couldn’t simply…

Media

Read More: Medicaid reform: For the poor and the poor taxpayer

Health Care

Government Health Care Kills

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 11, 2008

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is calling on the Pennsylvania Senate leadership to break their pledge not to hold a lame duck session. Among Rendell’s rhetorical arguments is that “nearly…

Media

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Health Care

Ten Pennsylvanians Die Each Day from Government Health Insurance

  • November 11, 2008

Uninsured citizens fare better than government insured HARRISBURG, PA — The Commonwealth Foundation today illustrated the absurdity of Gov. Ed Rendell’s politically motivated claim that “two Pennsylvanians die each…

Press Release

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Health Care

Taxes, Health Care, and GOP Strategists

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 6, 2008

Fox News has an article about the future of the GOP, and its search for rising starts. It is a pretty good piece, except for comments by Republican strategist…

Media

Read More: Taxes, Health Care, and GOP Strategists

Health Care

Is health care freedom in jeopardy?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 2, 2008

The Wall Street Journal makes note of a ballot measure in Arizona which reads: “no law shall be passed that restricts a person’s freedom of…

Media

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Government Accountability

Pennsylvania Is Driving Its Doctors Away

  • Nathan Benefield
  • October 25, 2008

Frederic Jarrett – a Pittsburgh doctor – editorializes in the Wall Street Journal as to how Governor Rendell is pushing doctors out a Pennsylvania by holding MCare abatement (a…

Media

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Health Care

We’re No. 2 … in loss of employer health insurance

  • October 17, 2008

Cross-posted on Capitol Domes   It should come as no surprise that universal health care proponents are spinning a report from an organization that supports universal…

Media

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