Elizabeth Stelle
Director of Policy Analysis
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.
Health Care
Medicaid Expansion Deals Don’t Deliver
Time is ticking for President Obama to get more buy-in on a pivotal part of Obamacare—Medicaid expansion. States are under immense pressure to accept an influx of federal funds in…
Media
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Note to Lawmakers: The Power Is Yours!
One of my favorite cartoon’s growing up was Captain Planet. The cartoon’s catchy theme song ended with an emphatic, “The power is yours!” It’s a message all of our state lawmakers…
Media
Read More: Note to Lawmakers: The Power Is Yours!Health Care
Sequester-Sized Savings
We’ve already busted the myth that federal money for the expansion of Medicaid is somehow “free.” As Nathan Benefield explains, government only distributes what if first taxes out of…
Media
Read More: Sequester-Sized SavingsTaxes & Economy
Welfare Traps Good People in Broken System
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
Read More: Welfare Traps Good People in Broken SystemHealth Care
Medicaid Expansion: The Price was Wrong
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
Read More: Medicaid Expansion: The Price was WrongHealth Care
Lawmakers: Medicaid Expansion Not the Answer
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
Read More: Lawmakers: Medicaid Expansion Not the AnswerHealth Care
Federal Funds Create Perverse Incentives
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
Read More: Federal Funds Create Perverse IncentivesPublic Union Democracy
Lottery Agreement Better Than Union Guesstimate
AFSCME’s counter proposal to the Pennsylvania Lottery private management agreement (PMA) provides no guaranteed revenue for senior services, no new jobs and no protections for taxpayers if profits fall…
Media
Read More: Lottery Agreement Better Than Union GuesstimateTaxes & Economy
“Promised Land” Bombs at Box Office
“Promised Land,” Tinseltown’s recent take on natural gas drilling, opened in theaters across the nation this past weekend. Despite a cast of heavy hitters, including Matt Damon, the film grossed…
Media
Read More: “Promised Land” Bombs at Box OfficeRegulation
Lottery Deal = Guarantees not Gamble
Lottery profits fund programs for senior citizens—but demand for these services is growing faster than Lottery revenue. The private lottery management agreement recently bid out by the…
Media
Read More: Lottery Deal = Guarantees not GamblePublic Union Democracy
Protecting Seniors and Taxpayers from the Lottery Cliff
From the greatest generation to the latest generation, our senior citizens have sacrificed to make Pennsylvania safe and prosperous. Our seniors deserve world-class care and assurance that their growing needs…
Memo
Read More: Protecting Seniors and Taxpayers from the Lottery CliffRegulation
PA Tax Loophole Funds Frackaphobic Film
There’s a memorable line in Promised Land, the new Matt Damon movie opening Friday about a gas drilling company buying land rights in a declining farming community. One…
Media
Read More: PA Tax Loophole Funds Frackaphobic FilmRegulation
Averting the “Lottery Cliff” for Seniors and Taxpayers
From the greatest generation to the latest generation, Pennsylvania’s seniors have worked a lifetime to build this great commonwealth through hard work and sacrifice, but are now being told the…
Commentary
Read More: Averting the “Lottery Cliff” for Seniors and TaxpayersRegulation
Lottery Privatization Process = Full Term Pregnancy
Nine months is a long time…trust me, I’m seven months pregnant. So why are critics arguing the lottery bidding process has been hurried? Far from being secretive…
Media
Read More: Lottery Privatization Process = Full Term PregnancyHealth Care
Hidden Costs of Obamacare Exposed
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
Read More: Hidden Costs of Obamacare ExposedHealth Care
Corbett Exchange Decision Right Call
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
Read More: Corbett Exchange Decision Right CallHealth Care
Corbett Defends Taxpayers, Rejects State-Based Exchange
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
Read More: Corbett Defends Taxpayers, Rejects State-Based ExchangeHealth Care
Lawmakers Challenge Obamacare’s “Most Harmful Provisions”
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
Read More: Lawmakers Challenge Obamacare’s “Most Harmful Provisions”Health Care
But It’s Only A Few Billion More…
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
Read More: But It’s Only A Few Billion More…Health Care
5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care Exchanges
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
Read More: 5 Must-Know Facts About Health Care ExchangesPublic Union Democracy
Union Members Protest Union Bosses Pay Grab
California DMV worker Mariam Noujaim is furious with how union bosses are spending her hard-earned dues. In 2010, she and many other DMV workers were laid off while leaders…
Media
Read More: Union Members Protest Union Bosses Pay Grab