Elizabeth Stelle

Vice President of Policy

Elizabeth Stelle is the Vice President of Policy at the Commonwealth Foundation.

Elizabeth has researched and written on government reform, health care, welfare, energy, and government transparency. Her work has been featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patriot-News, Philadelphia Inquirer, and a variety of radio and television programs throughout the commonwealth. Elizabeth is a graduate of Grove City College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history.

A native of Ohio, Elizabeth makes her home in the Pittsburgh area with her husband and four children. She enjoys swimming, traveling to historic landmarks and exploring the moral foundations of capitalism.

Energy

RGGI Will Cost Virginia Billions—Just Like It Cost Pennsylvania

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Erik Telford
  • May 26, 2026

Originally published by Daily Signal. Gov. Abigail Spanberger has consistently sided with the climate-policy wing of her party even when its proposals threaten higher energy costs for consumers. One…

Media Hit

Read More: RGGI Will Cost Virginia Billions—Just Like It Cost Pennsylvania

Taxes & Economy

Affordable Childcare Begins with Cutting Red Tape

  • Edward Timmons, Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 13, 2026

Originally published by TribLive. Child care in Pennsylvania is expensive. Just one child in day care costs about 40% of the median household income of single-parent households…

Media Hit

Read More: Affordable Childcare Begins with Cutting Red Tape

Regulation

Fixing the Childcare Affordability Crisis in Pennsylvania

  • Corey V. Kendig, Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 10, 2026

Key Points Statewide numbers for 2024 show the average annual cost of center-based infant care in Pennsylvania at $14,910, or 11.5 percent of the median married…

Backgrounder

Read More: Fixing the Childcare Affordability Crisis in Pennsylvania

Health Care

Fraud is the Legacy of Obamacare, but Affordability Can Be Its Future

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 15, 2025

Originally published by The Pottstown–Mercury. Lorie and Randy Delaney enrolled in an Ohio exchange plan. When they received a $1,096 bill for Rand’s insulin prescription, the couple knew something was…

Media Hit

Read More: Fraud is the Legacy of Obamacare, but Affordability Can Be Its Future

Energy

‘Affordability First’ Is Flipping the Script on Energy Policy

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 25, 2025

Originally published by Real Clear Pennsylvania. In early November, U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson’s (R-Ohio) simple Affordable, Reliable, and Clean Energy Security Act underscored the titanic shift in…

Media Hit

Read More: ‘Affordability First’ Is Flipping the Script on Energy Policy

Regulation

Installing Broadband is Expensive—and L&I Isn’t Helping

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 24, 2025

Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Pennsylvania needs more broadband. Connecting underserved communities to affordable, high-speed internet will help rural communities prosper. Unfortunately, one misguided Pennsylvania policy makes the process needlessly expensive…

Media Hit

Read More: Installing Broadband is Expensive—and L&I Isn’t Helping

Health Care

The Myths and Misinformation of Medicaid

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 22, 2025

Originally published by the Delaware Valley Journal. Gov. Josh Shapiro isn’t pleased with the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). “Pennsylvania got screwed,” he recently told a…

Media Hit

Read More: The Myths and Misinformation of Medicaid

Energy

What Pennsylvania Can Learn From Louisiana About Energy Policy

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 15, 2025

Originally published by RealClearEnergy. Louisiana, the third-largest producer of natural gas nationally, has capitalized on President Donald Trump’s energy policies, which represent an about-face turn…

Media Hit

Read More: What Pennsylvania Can Learn From Louisiana About Energy Policy

Energy

Energy Costs and Regulations Threaten PA’s Tech Boom

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 11, 2025

Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Pennsylvania is on the short list of destinations for cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI). However, the commonwealth—thanks to ill-advised policies pushed by…

Media Hit

Read More: Energy Costs and Regulations Threaten PA’s Tech Boom

Government Accountability

Pennsylvania Needs Genuine Election Integrity Reform

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 22, 2025

Originally published by Broad + Liberty. Imagine that you are at the liquor store but forgot your ID. Don’t worry, your friend can sign an affidavit saying you’re over 21.

Media Hit

Read More: Pennsylvania Needs Genuine Election Integrity Reform

Regulation

How To Make Pennsylvania Manufacturing Boom

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 29, 2025

Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. President Donald Trump and Gov. Josh Shapiro can agree on one thing: Pennsylvania needs a manufacturing boom. Political talk and regulatory action, however, are two different…

Media Hit

Read More: How To Make Pennsylvania Manufacturing Boom

Health Care

Medicaid Reform Needed to Eliminate Waste and Fraud

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 23, 2025

Originally published by Morning Call. Our national health-care safety net, known as Medicaid, is fundamentally broken. It prioritizes the healthy over the sick and insurers over patients—with little accountability. Finally,…

Media Hit

Read More: Medicaid Reform Needed to Eliminate Waste and Fraud

Health Care

How to Help Pennsylvanians Prosper with Medicaid and SNAP Reform 

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 1, 2025

Work requirements, strengthening eligibility verification, and prioritizing traditional enrollees will lead to better outcomes. Summary The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid programs are intended to help adults increase…

Fact Sheet

Read More: How to Help Pennsylvanians Prosper with Medicaid and SNAP Reform 

Health Care

If the ACA Works, Why Do Pennsylvanians Need to Prop It Up?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 11, 2025

Originally published by Delaware Valley Journal. During his budget address, Gov. Josh Shapiro claimed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) “is working for Pennsylvanians.” So, is he right? Judging by his…

Media Hit

Read More: If the ACA Works, Why Do Pennsylvanians Need to Prop It Up?

State Budget

Governor Shapiro’s Budget is Nothing New

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • February 17, 2025

Originally published by the York Dispatch. “I love Groundhog Day,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro during the budget address. Of course, the governor meant the Pennsylvania tradition of Punxsutawney…

Media Hit

Read More: Governor Shapiro’s Budget is Nothing New