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.
Health Care
Double-Down on Reinventing Government
Imagine if Stephen King had written Green Eggs and Ham. What if Dr. Seuss had penned The Shining? Gov. Wolf’s third budget address was an equally disorienting shift in tone…
Media
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The Case for Block Granting Medicaid
Governor Wolf is decrying efforts in Washington to give states more control over Medicaid through a block grant. This will have a devastating impact for many Pennsylvanians, and…
Media
Read More: The Case for Block Granting MedicaidHealth Care
4 Obamacare Failures & How to Fix Them
For almost seven years the benefits of Obamacare have been exaggerated and the costs severely underestimated. As repeal efforts gain momentum, many are understandably uncomfortable about another dramatic shift in…
Media
Read More: 4 Obamacare Failures & How to Fix ThemCriminal Justice Reform
Embracing Innovation in State Government
Conventional governing is hampering Pennsylvania’s progress. Growing state budgets combined with one-time revenue transfers and targeted tax hikes are delaying the structural reforms essential to improving the quality…
Fact Sheet
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Hits and Misses from the 2015-16 Legislative Session
That's a wrap. The 2015-16 legislative session is officially in the history books. Despite a $650 million tax hike, Pennsylvanians have a lot to celebrate from the past two years.
Media
Read More: Hits and Misses from the 2015-16 Legislative SessionHealth Care
Painful Year for Pennsylvanians on the Obamacare Exchange
Today marks the fifth open enrollment season for Obamacare's insurance exchange. As predicted, premiums continue to skyrocket. In fact, Pennsylvania's premium increases are among the highest in the…
Media
Read More: Painful Year for Pennsylvanians on the Obamacare ExchangeHealth Care
Record Premium Hikes Hit Pa. Exchange
Pennsylvanians shopping on the health care exchange are in for a rude awakening. Yesterday the Insurance Department announced premiums for individual plans will increase by an average of 32…
Media
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Obamacare is Failing, But States can Bring Hope
Obamacare is struggling for survival. Despite victories in the courts, state exchanges are in trouble, and Medicaid expansion has been more costly than expected—with no evidence of improved health outcomes.
Media
Read More: Obamacare is Failing, But States can Bring HopeHealth Care
Free Market Solution Expands Access to Care
Harmful regulations prevent Pennsylvania’s nurse practitioners—highly-trained medical professionals who interpret diagnostic tests, treat chronic conditions, and prescribe medication—from doing what they do best: providing quality health care for patients in…
Media
Read More: Free Market Solution Expands Access to CareHealth Care
Improving Health Care Access While Cutting Costs
Is it possible to improve health care access while also cutting a costs? Yes—according to a recent study by Edward Timmons of the Mercatus Center. Writing in U.S.
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6 Reasons Obamacare is a Failure
Lower costs? Improved access? Six years later, the Affordable Care Act still falls painfully short of these noble goals. Years after most of the ACA's “goodies” have been implemented,…
Media
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6 Reasons Not to Celebrate Obamacare’s 6th Anniversary
6 Reasons Not to Celebrate Obamacare’s 6th Anniversary Problems Persist as Health Care System Flounders March 21, 2016, HARRISBURG, Pa.—Lower costs? Improved access? Promises made—and broken—in the…
Press Release
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Redesigning Government to Balance State and Local Budgets
Pennsylvania taxpayers shoulder the 15th highest state and local tax burden in the country. Consequently, the Keystone State has seen an exodus of working people. Unsustainable growth in…
Memo
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The Trouble with Medicaid Expansion
As yesterday's deadline to enroll in an Obamacare marketplace insurance plan quietly passed, Gov. Wolf is boasting about Medicaid expansion—a major component of the federal government's health care overhaul.
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Celebrating Crummy Care
Midnight is the enrollment deadline for the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who want to remained insured through healthcare.gov. To no one's surprise, the rush to enroll has led to another…
Media
Read More: Celebrating Crummy CareEducation
Philly Union Priorities: Politics over Teachers
How would you feel if your employer took funds meant for your health insurance and spent them on partisan politics? Sadly, this is a reality for thousands of teachers in…
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Read More: Philly Union Priorities: Politics over TeachersHealth Care
Obamacare Premiums Rise, Again
Mark your calendars (for disappointment)! On November 1 healthcare.gov will launch its third open enrollment season. Here in Pennsylvania, premiums for the second highest silver plan will climb, on average, by 11…
Media
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Losers Outnumber Winners Under King v Burwell Decision
Yesterday’s US Supreme Court decision to uphold taxpayer subsidies on healthcare.gov brought a collective sigh of relief to Pennsylvanians, like Barbara, who depend on subsidies to make health insurance…
Media
Read More: Losers Outnumber Winners Under King v Burwell DecisionHealth Care
King v. Burwell Highlights Need for Obamacare Alternatives
King v. Burwell Highlights Need forObamacare Alternatives Exchange Plans Restrictive and Unaffordable Even with Subsidies Good morning, Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in King v. Burwell that…
Press Release
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Affordable Care Act Brings Unaffordable Premium Hikes
Pennsylvania insurance companies are asking for dramatic premium hikes on exchange plans. Highmark underestimated the cost of care for individuals on the exchange and is now requesting a 23%…
Media
Read More: Affordable Care Act Brings Unaffordable Premium HikesHealth Care
Out of Control
Governor Wolf is facing a budget situation more serious than any of his predecessors. His proposal includes an additional $691 million in the General Fund for DHS, bringing the department’s…
Report
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