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.

Welfare

Medicaid needs a better ‘normal’ in Pa.

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 7, 2023

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review This month, Medicaid is finally returning to normal — but “normal” was never that great. Currently, an estimated 600,000 ineligible Pennsylvanians…

Media Hit

Read More: Medicaid needs a better ‘normal’ in Pa.

Regulation

What is real freedom?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 2, 2023

Originally published at LNP Gov. Josh Shapiro likes to talk about “real freedom” — a familiar campaign promise repeated eight times in his inaugural speech and twice in his…

Media Hit

Read More: What is real freedom?

Energy

Too much regulation raises energy prices too high

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • February 7, 2023

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On average, electric bills for Pennsylvanians are up 73 percent since 2020. The increases range from 55% in east (for PECO customers) to…

Media Hit

Read More: Too much regulation raises energy prices too high

Passing voter ID can help restore trust in elections

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • January 26, 2023

Originally published at City & State PA Our democratic system depends on trust – but Americans have become increasingly disillusioned by the political process. According to a poll conducted…

Media Hit

Read More: Passing voter ID can help restore trust in elections

Education

Speaker Rozzi’s Listening Tour Testimony

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • January 25, 2023

Mr. Speaker and members of the working group, thank you for allowing Commonwealth Foundation to provide brief comments on the importance of the house returning to work. My name is…

Testimony

Read More: Speaker Rozzi’s Listening Tour Testimony

Health Care

Remove barriers to increase health care access in Western Pa.

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 22, 2022

Originally published at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Nearly three years after the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, hospitals still struggle with significant labor shortages. Health care workers are…

Media Hit

Read More: Remove barriers to increase health care access in Western Pa.

Liberty is the only good we all truly share in common

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 6, 2022

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On election day, we focus on our differences, but at the core of the American experience is one unifying idea: That all people…

Media Hit

Read More: Liberty is the only good we all truly share in common

Taxes & Economy

Inflation is killing small business

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • November 4, 2022

Originally published at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Deeanna Hilliard closed her bakery in August. Gluten Free by D&D in Volant had survived pandemic restrictions and persistent worker shortages, but it…

Media Hit

Read More: Inflation is killing small business

Criminal Justice Reform

Keeping kids in the community improves public safety

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 28, 2022

Originally published at City & State Pennsylvania Reforming the juvenile justice system is personal for Philadelphia native Jon Kelly.   “I cycled through several youth detention centers,”…

Media Hit

Read More: Keeping kids in the community improves public safety

Public Union Democracy

Government unions have too much power

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 5, 2022

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette No one dominates political contributions like government unions. They spend millions on elections to buy their out-sized influence on officials and public policy. …

Media Hit

Read More: Government unions have too much power

Health Care

Medicaid’s Endless Expansion

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Stefanie Mason
  • July 5, 2022

Key Points Medicaid enrollment has surged, increasing by more than one million since 2015.[1] The program now covers more than one-quarter of all Pennsylvanians.Medicaid is the largest program…

Backgrounder

Read More: Medicaid’s Endless Expansion

Education

Pennsylvania schools have a hoarding problem

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • June 30, 2022

Originally published in The Mercury “Pennsylvania has been chronically underfunding school districts for decades,” according to school board member Jackie Huff. That is a common claim by politicians —…

Media Hit

Read More: Pennsylvania schools have a hoarding problem

Regulation

MI and PA Lockdowns Show the High Price of Government Overreach

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 13, 2022

Originally published at RealClearHealth It’s official, COVID-19 is no longer a crisis. According to a recent Axios poll, only nine percent of Americans believe COVID is a serious crisis.

Media Hit

Read More: MI and PA Lockdowns Show the High Price of Government Overreach

Education

An answer for the way COVID put our children behind

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • April 11, 2022

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Maria Elizabeth had to make a hard choice: send her son to a failing school in Clairton or get a second job selling…

Media Hit

Read More: An answer for the way COVID put our children behind

State Budget

Examining Wolf’s revisionist history

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • February 25, 2022

Originally printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette What will Pennsylvanians remember about Gov. Tom Wolf? This is his final year in office, and Mr. Wolf’s original priorities remain mostly…

Media Hit

Read More: Examining Wolf’s revisionist history

Public Union Democracy

Why Pennsylvania Needs Wisconsin-Style Government Union Reform

  • Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
  • February 24, 2022

Key Findings Government unions have enormous political power in Pennsylvania, due to a host of special legal privileges granted in state law.Government union executives use this power to trap government…

Report

Read More: Why Pennsylvania Needs Wisconsin-Style Government Union Reform