Many Pennsylvanians face chronic unemployment, welfare dependency, and the cycle of poverty. This happens because labor incentives have been overridden by bad policies that keep millions out of the workforce and enact excessive red tape. We can reverse this trend by ending the practice of waiving work requirements on able-bodied Pennsylvanians with no dependents, removing barriers to employment for those seeking a fresh start, and creating a healthcare system without burdensome regulations.

Health Care

Where Does Government Get Money?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 28, 2013

Where does the federal government get its money? Does it grow on trees? Does it fall from the sky like manna from heaven? Is there a genie who keeps granting…

Media

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Health Care

Medicaid Harms States, Poor & Taxpayers

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 25, 2013

A new report and commentary from the Galen Institute details the reasons why the “free money” promised by the federal government for expanding Medicaid is a bad deal…

Media

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Taxes & Economy

Welfare Traps Good People in Broken System

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • February 6, 2013

CBS 21’s Chris Papst presents a chilling story showing how easy it is for Pennsylvania families to get trapped in the welfare system. Investigators discovered a single mother of two making $20,000 in Pennsylvania can…

Media

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Health Care

Medicaid Expansion: The Price was Wrong

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • February 6, 2013

Governor Corbett made the right call yesterday when he decided to recommend against expanding Medicaid in Pennsylvania. Here is my letter to the editor to the Philadelphia Inquirer explaining…

Media

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Health Care

Lawmakers: Medicaid Expansion Not the Answer

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • February 4, 2013

Rep. Gordon Denlinger and 37 House members sent a letter to Governor Corbett, urging the governor not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare).

Media

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Health Care

Affordable Care Act: Costs to Pennsylvanians

  • February 4, 2013

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

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Health Care

Federal Funds Create Perverse Incentives

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • January 15, 2013

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, just like there’s no such thing as free money from the federal government. But you wouldn’t know that by reading a recent…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

Milestone Corrections Reform Offers Taxpayer Savings

  • January 9, 2013

On the heels of Pennsylvania’s historic decline in prison population—the largest one-year decline in four decades—the Department of Corrections announced today the imminent closure of two older prisons.

Media

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Health Care

Hidden Costs of Obamacare Exposed

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • December 14, 2012

While much has been written about the cost of the exchange and the Medicaid expansion, a mountain of hidden mandates could cost Pennsylvania taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over…

Media

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Health Care

Corbett Exchange Decision Right Call

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • December 13, 2012

Governor Corbett’s decision yesterday to refuse to implement a state-based health care exchange under the Affordable Care Act (which means Pennsylvania will revert to a federally-run exchange), was the…

Media

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Education

Handouts Hurting Poor, Help Up a Better Way

  • Charles Mitchell
  • December 12, 2012

The holidays are a great time to be grateful for the gifts we've received.  And, as we remember well, fallen Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney claimed that some Americans have…

Commentary

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Health Care

Corbett Defends Taxpayers, Rejects State-Based Exchange

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 12, 2012

Pennsylvania today joined 21 other states in refusing to create a state-based exchange or partnership exchange, one of the tenets of the Affordable Care Act. Thanks to Governor Corbett’s…

Media

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Health Care

Lawmakers Challenge Obamacare’s “Most Harmful Provisions”

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 6, 2012

On Tuesday Rep. Gordon Denlinger sent an updated version of a letter to Governor Corbett urging against the creation of a state exchange and expanding Medicaid under the Affordable…

Media

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Health Care

But It’s Only A Few Billion More…

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • December 3, 2012

Medicaid spending will increase by more than one trillion dollars nationally over the next decade if all states participate in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, according to new analysis by…

Media

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Criminal Justice Reform

Three of Four Alarms Still Ringing

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 3, 2012

Late last month, the Independent Fiscal Office released its annual report looking at Pennsylvania’s economy and forecasting state budget expenditures and revenues. The trends remain alarming. Most notably, state…

Media

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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…

Media

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State Budget

Federal Funds Aren’t “Free”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • November 20, 2012

There’s no such thing as a free lunch—meaning everything in life, including government programs, must be paid for.  Unfortunately, many advocates of government health insurance expansion explain the Affordable…

Media

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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…

Media

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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…

Media

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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…

Poll

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Criminal Justice Reform

Pennsylvania Gets Landmark Corrections Reform

  • October 18, 2012

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania passed the final piece, House Bill 135, of a landmark corrections reform package that transforms our ailing prison system to one that works better for YOU. Commonwealth Foundation…

Media

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