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

5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care Exchanges

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 26, 2012

The election has been settled, but the future of the Affordable Care Act is far from it, as decisions are now in the hands of governors and state lawmakers. One…

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Read More: 5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care Exchanges

Health Care

What Does Election Mean for Obamacare?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 12, 2012

While exit polling shows a majority of voters support full or partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act, this outcome remains unlikely. President Obama will not reverse his…

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Health Care

Contain Medicaid Fire, Turn Hose on Pension Crisis

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • October 23, 2012

Last night’s presidential debate (despite the focus on foreign policy) featured much talk on skyrocketing debt and unsustainable entitlement programs. Protecting the middle class from growing debt isn’t a problem…

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Read More: Contain Medicaid Fire, Turn Hose on Pension Crisis

Health Care

Why Repeal? The Affordable Care Act’s Costs to Pennsylvanians

  • October 23, 2012

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—or "Obamacare"—will take more than $500 billion from American taxpayers by 2022, raise costs to state governments and increase the cost of private health…

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Health Care

Principles for Health Care Reform

  • October 11, 2012

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands Medicaid, subsidizes health insurance for middle class families, and creates new federal health insurance regulations. To pay for this additional spending, the ACA makes…

Fact Sheet

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Health Care

Medicaid Expansion Bad Deal for Patients

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 3, 2012

Health care interest groups took to the press in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg to argue for expanding Medicaid in Pennsylvania, but these advocates overlook the program’s flaws and its long-term…

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Health Care

Saylor Broaches Biggest Budget Buster

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 26, 2012

Pensions and transportation top the list of crises the General Assembly won’t address in their short fall session, but little has been said about the biggest budget buster facing the…

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Read More: Saylor Broaches Biggest Budget Buster

Health Care

How Much Will Obama’s Health Care Cost You?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 18, 2012

How much will the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) cost you? Our new policy points look at the cost Pennsylvanians will shoulder under the sweeping health care reform law.

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Health Care

Pennsylvania Medicaid Spending and the Affordable Care Act

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 17, 2012

Current Medicaid spending trends are unsustainable.  Medicaid spending (Medical Assistance and Long Term Care) consumes about 30 percent of Pennsylvania's total state operating budget.  In the past decade, Medicaid spending…

Memo

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Health Care

The Affordable Care Act: Pennsylvania’s Costs

  • September 17, 2012

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—often dubbed "Obamacare"—will cost Americans $1.2 trillion from 2012 to 2022 according to the Congressional Budget Office. These projections do not account for the…

Fact Sheet

Read More: The Affordable Care Act: Pennsylvania’s Costs

Health Care

Medicaid Reform Saves Families

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 14, 2012

Laureny Sanchez is a widowed mother of four, including 14-year-old twin Alan, who suffers from a tumor on his pituitary gland, heart problems and other medical issues. Under regular Medicaid,…

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Health Care

Reps to Guv: Reject Medicaid Expansion

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 5, 2012

In July, 45 members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives sent a letter to Gov. Corbett calling for him to opt out of the Medicaid expansion and the insurance…

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Health Care

Medicaid Myth #3: Ryan Plan Kicks Folks Off Of Medicaid

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • August 31, 2012

This concludes our blog series on the myths of the Ryan Medicaid plan. Wednesday‘s blog showed why Ryan’s plan would preserve rather than gut Medicaid and yesterday‘s post…

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Read More: Medicaid Myth #3: Ryan Plan Kicks Folks Off Of Medicaid

Health Care

Medicaid Myth #2: Medicaid Expansion Helps Poor

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Priya Brannick
  • August 30, 2012

Yesterday, we began a series on the many myths surrounding Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s plan to reform Medicaid. We started with the myth that Ryan would gut Medicaid,…

Media

Read More: Medicaid Myth #2: Medicaid Expansion Helps Poor

Health Care

Will Paul Ryan Raid Medicaid?

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • August 29, 2012

The 2012 campaign continues to center on candidates and their allies calling the other guys “extremists,” and few bear the title as often as Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan.  For…

Media

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Health Care

Fact Check: Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity and Medicaid

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • August 29, 2012

Far from hurting the poor, Ryan's Medicaid plan will preserve their access to health care by making the government health care program affordable and sustainable. The plan has three main…

Memo

Read More: Fact Check: Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity and Medicaid

Health Care

ACA a Boon to Special Interests

  • Nathan Benefield
  • August 13, 2012

Tim Carney continues to highlight the role special interests— including the largest players in the health care industry—played in crafting the socalled Affordable Care Act, dispelling the myth that…

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Health Care

Pizza, Burgers and Health Care Reform

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 10, 2012

The devastating side effects of the Affordable Care Act are multiplying every day. It’s not uncommon to hear that premiums are rising, about 7 percent next year, according to the…

Media

Read More: Pizza, Burgers and Health Care Reform

Health Care

State Officials Give Medicaid Expansion a Thumbs Down

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 7, 2012

Is expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act a good idea for states? According to state budget directors across the country, the answer is a resounding no.  A recent survey conducted by…

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Read More: State Officials Give Medicaid Expansion a Thumbs Down

Health Care

Medicaid Big Threat to States

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • July 23, 2012

A new study by the State Budget Crisis Task Force found Medicaid is one of the six biggest threats facing states. That should be no surprise to our readers.

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Health Care

ACA Encourages Young & Healthy to Stay Uninsured

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • July 12, 2012

An AP article claims the Affordable Care Act will lower the cost of insurance for young adults through a host of government interventions such as new mandates, Medicaid…

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Read More: ACA Encourages Young & Healthy to Stay Uninsured