Health Care
Pa. House’s Passage of HB 1512 Is a Victory for Patients
Harrisburg, Pa., April 10, 2024 — Today, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill (HB) 1512 by a vote of 197 to 3. The Commonwealth Foundation applauds the passage of the…
Read More: Pa. House’s Passage of HB 1512 Is a Victory for PatientsUnder 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.
Education
Welcome to the Homeschool Club!
New homeschoolers, try to relax and enjoy this unexpected time with your kids. While there may be some things they don’t learn now that they would have learned in a…
Commentary
Read More: Welcome to the Homeschool Club!Health Care
Policy Recommendations to Fight COVID-19 in Pennsylvania
As Pennsylvania faces its greatest crisis in decades, it is imperative that legislators take the lead and enact key heath care, education, and budget reforms to help Pennsylvania families and small…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Policy Recommendations to Fight COVID-19 in PennsylvaniaEducation
Parent to Parent: 3 Keys to Stay Sane and Healthy During COVID-19
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you know all Pennsylvania public schools have been closed. What do parents and educators need to know?…
Commentary
Read More: Parent to Parent: 3 Keys to Stay Sane and Healthy During COVID-19Health Care
Recommendations to Ease Mounting Healthcare Burden
March 16, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Legislature should prioritize flexible medical care as it returns to session this week aiming to mitigate the spread of the novel…
Press Release
Read More: Recommendations to Ease Mounting Healthcare BurdenHealth Care
No Easy Pass This Year on Cost Overruns
Legislators are questioning the administration's chronic overspending habit, but they aren't getting many answers.
Commentary
Read More: No Easy Pass This Year on Cost OverrunsHealth Care
Gov. Wolf Should Unleash Pennsylvanians’ Ingenuity to Improve Medicaid
It’s time for Pennsylvania to pursue proven ways of improving the quality of Medicaid services, while reducing the burden on taxpayers.
Commentary
Read More: Gov. Wolf Should Unleash Pennsylvanians’ Ingenuity to Improve MedicaidHealth Care
Where Have All the Human Service Dollars Gone?
Nearly half of Pennsylvania's budget goes to human services or welfare. Governor Wolf wants to increase human service spending by $1.4 billion next year. But how well are these programs…
Commentary
Read More: Where Have All the Human Service Dollars Gone?Health Care
The Administrative Cost of Community Engagement Requirements in Medicaid
This is the first in a series of policy briefs looking at the common objections to implementing community engagement requirements, or work expectations, for healthy adults receiving benefits under Medicaid…
Fact Sheet
Read More: The Administrative Cost of Community Engagement Requirements in MedicaidHealth Care
Sen. Martin Introduces Bill to Protect Safety Net
Steve Blazer of Surge Staffing is taking an unusual approach to filling hundreds of open warehouse positions: attending job fairs at state prisons. Steve’s struggle to find workers is…
Media
Read More: Sen. Martin Introduces Bill to Protect Safety NetHealth Care
Work Requirements Can Help Solve Pa.’s Workforce Challenges
The mismatch between job openings, workers’ skills, and workers’ expectations is a hot topic in the national and state media. As our CEO Charles Mitchell pointed out…
Media
Read More: Work Requirements Can Help Solve Pa.’s Workforce ChallengesCriminal Justice Reform
Pennsylvania State Budget Trends
On February 5, Governor Wolf will lay out his proposal for the 2019-20 state budget. Here are some key facts on spending trends, last year’s enacted budget, and challenges going…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pennsylvania State Budget TrendsHealth Care
Arkansas Latest to Demonstrate Power of Work Over Poverty
Once again, incomes are rising, tax revenue is up, and welfare enrollment is shrinking thanks to work requirements. A recent analysis from the Foundation for Government Accountability finds Arkansas’s…
Media
Read More: Arkansas Latest to Demonstrate Power of Work Over PovertyHealth Care
Federal Food Stamp Fix Good Fit for Pa.
Jobs and money form the foundation of many a New Year’s resolution. Now, due to proposed federal SNAP (food stamp) changes, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could experience a brighter…
Media
Read More: Federal Food Stamp Fix Good Fit for Pa.Health Care
Affordable Care Act Struggles Continue: Sarah’s Health Care Story
Sarah is a social service worker from Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, where she and her husband also homeschool their four young children. For four years her family received insurance through Medicaid.
Media
Read More: Affordable Care Act Struggles Continue: Sarah’s Health Care StoryHealth Care
Pursuing Permanent Poverty Solutions: 2018-17 Welfare & Health Care Reforms
Today, we continue our recap of the 2017-18 legislature by looking at the largest and most poorly understood aspect of state government, welfare and health care. Human services spending amounts…
Media
Read More: Pursuing Permanent Poverty Solutions: 2018-17 Welfare & Health Care ReformsHealth Care
Four Ways Pa. Lawmakers Can Reduce the Cost of Health Care
Bureaucracy just makes things worse. Case in point: Obamacare. Pennsylvanians have faced soaring health care costs and far fewer options ever since the law was passed. Thankfully, a…
Media
Read More: Four Ways Pa. Lawmakers Can Reduce the Cost of Health CareHealth Care
Welfare Program Restarts with No Proof of Poverty Alleviation & No Budget
After a six-year hiatus, Pennsylvania's General Assistance program is back in operation…without a budget. The Wolf administration's unilateral decision to resurrect a program, without identifying a funding source, is symbolic…
Media
Read More: Welfare Program Restarts with No Proof of Poverty Alleviation & No BudgetHealth Care
What Do Lower Exchange Premiums Mean?
For the first time in the history of the Affordable Care Act, exchange premiums are decreasing in Pennsylvania. Insurance Commissioner Altman announced an aggregate average decrease of 2.3 percent…
Media
Read More: What Do Lower Exchange Premiums Mean?Health Care
Wolf Vetoes Opportunity for Healthy Adults to Escape Poverty
October 19, 2018, Harrisburg, Pa.—Late this afternoon, Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed HB 2138, a bold anti-poverty bill aimed at helping Pennsylvanians achieve independence. The legislation would have incentivized healthy,…
Press Release
Read More: Wolf Vetoes Opportunity for Healthy Adults to Escape PovertyHealth Care
Pa. Legislature Sends Landmark Anti-Poverty Reform to Gov. Wolf
October 17, 2018, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, the Pennsylvania Legislature sent a landmark anti-poverty bill to Governor Wolf’s desk. HB 2138 will help healthy, childless adults enrolled in Medicaid move from…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Legislature Sends Landmark Anti-Poverty Reform to Gov. WolfHealth Care
Protecting Home Care Workers from Gov. Wolf’s Invasive Executive Order
Legislative action must correct Gov. Wolf's executive overreach into the daily lives of home care workers and elderly and disabled Pennsylvanians.
Memo
Read More: Protecting Home Care Workers from Gov. Wolf’s Invasive Executive Order