Nathan Benefield

Nathan Benefield

Chief Policy Officer

Nathan (Nate) Benefield is the Chief Policy Officer at the Commonwealth Foundation.

An Ohio native, Nate holds an undergraduate degree in political science and economics and a master’s degree in public service management from DePaul University in Chicago. He also completed his doctoral studies (ABD) in political science at Loyola University, also in Chicago.

Nate joined the Commonwealth Foundation in 2005. Now as Chief Policy Officer , he provides strategic leadership as well as operational oversight spanning policy analysis, government relations, marketing, and communications.

Nate has researched and written extensively on public policy issues including the state budget, public sector labor reform, government spending and taxes, liquor privatization, education, and economic development. Under Nate’s policy leadership, the Commonwealth Foundation’s work on public sector pension law helped drive the bipartisan pension reform of 2017, heralded by the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post as an example for other states to follow.

Nate has testified numerous times before state legislative committees and is often called upon by legislators and members of the media to provide expertise. He is a frequent commentator on both television and radio, and his writings have appeared across the state and nationally in outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patriot-News, and Weekly Standard.

Nate’s favorite rock song and personal motto are both “Don’t Stop Believin.”

Public Union Democracy

Cost-Saving Ideas for Pennsylvania State Budget

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 12, 2010

Testimony of Nathan A. Benefield, Director of Policy Research, Commonwealth Foundation to the Pennsylvania Senate Government Management and Cost Study Commission,  April 12, 2010 Good morning; I am Nathan…

Testimony

Read More: Cost-Saving Ideas for Pennsylvania State Budget

Health Care

Repeal It? Wouldn’t be the First Time

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 12, 2010

National Review has a good story of how Kentucky passed health care mandate like those contained in the new federal law, including guaranteed issue and community rating, in 1994.

Media

Read More: Repeal It? Wouldn’t be the First Time

Health Care

Hate Mail on “Slacker Mandate”

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 9, 2010

A reader took exception for my use of the term “slacker mandate” to describe laws requiring insurance companies to cover young adults on their parents’ plans up to age 26…

Media

Read More: Hate Mail on “Slacker Mandate”

Taxes & Economy

Grading Wagner’s Infrastructure Agenda: Revise and Resubmit

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 8, 2010

PA Gubernatorial Candidate Jack Wagner put out an a proposal for infrastructure today. Not much in the way of specifics or substance contained within, or even much to write…

Media

Read More: Grading Wagner’s Infrastructure Agenda: Revise and Resubmit

Government Accountability

Rendell: Everyone Supports Higher Taxes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 7, 2010

At his press conference announcing that the lawyers at the Federal Highway Administration were all less intelligent that his staff, based on their decision to reject I-80 tolls, Gov. Rendell…

Media

Read More: Rendell: Everyone Supports Higher Taxes

Health Care

Mass: What PA has to Look Forward to on Health Insurance

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 7, 2010

Massachusetts – with an individual mandate, an insurance exchange, taxpayer subsidies for insurance, and a regulatory board overseeing all health insurance – was seen as the model for health care…

Media

Read More: Mass: What PA has to Look Forward to on Health Insurance

Education

Gov. Rendell Learned His Lesson

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 6, 2010

Last year, Gov. Rendell went on a bus tour across Pennsylvania, at taxpayer expense, to lobby for more education spending. Rendell was…

Media

Read More: Gov. Rendell Learned His Lesson

Health Care

State Legislators’ Guide to Health Insurance Solution

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 5, 2010

Council for Affordable Health Insurance and ALEC have released their 2010 State Legislators Guide to Health Insurance Solutions. Here is a PDF version of the full report…

Media

Read More: State Legislators’ Guide to Health Insurance Solution

Government Accountability

Four of Six PA Governor Candidates Favor State Constitutional Convention

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 5, 2010

At a forum for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates last week, Tom Corbett, Jack Wagner, Joe Hoeffel, and Dan Onorato all express some support for a state constitutional convention, at least…

Media

Read More: Four of Six PA Governor Candidates Favor State Constitutional Convention

Government Accountability

In Defense of Political Anonymity

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 2, 2010

Former FEC Chief Bradley Smith has a good article in the winter issue of City Journal on the problems with campaign finance disclosure. Imagine if the George W.

Media

Read More: In Defense of Political Anonymity

Education

Is Choice Harming Public Schools?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 2, 2010

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story this week about the number of students (314,000 over nine years) served by Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC provides tax…

Media

Read More: Is Choice Harming Public Schools?

Health Care

Repeal Obamacare Ad in Erie Times-News

  • Nathan Benefield
  • April 1, 2010

The Manufacturer and Business Assocation, along with a whole slew of businesses in the Erie area, ran a full page add in the Erie Times-News calling for lawmakers to…

Media

Read More: Repeal Obamacare Ad in Erie Times-News

Education

Operation Restore Launched to Preserve School Choice in PA

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 31, 2010

The REACH Alliance launched Operation Restore, a campaign to restore the funding for Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program to $75 million.  The EITC, which before…

Media

Read More: Operation Restore Launched to Preserve School Choice in PA

Health Care

How the Health Care Law is Financed

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 31, 2010

The Tax Foundation has a useful chart showing how the health care law is financed over the next 10 years (keep in mind most of the taxes don’t kick…

Media

Read More: How the Health Care Law is Financed

State Budget

Debating Taxes on Services

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 30, 2010

The New York Times has a piece on expanding state sales taxes to cover many services, with a specific focus on Pennsylvania. The articles focus primarily on the “modernization”…

Media

Read More: Debating Taxes on Services

Health Care

Who the Health Cares About the Constitution?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 30, 2010

Constitutional questions have dogged the health care bill since its introduction.  But rather than address these issues head on, supporters of the legislation have shrugged them off.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi,…

Commentary

Read More: Who the Health Cares About the Constitution?

Taxes & Economy

Which Sectors are Adding Jobs in Pennsylvania?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 30, 2010

As reported earlier, Pennsylvania lost an estimated 16,000 jobs in February.  Over the past year, the total jobs lost in the state adds to up about 141,000 (272,000 over…

Media

Read More: Which Sectors are Adding Jobs in Pennsylvania?

Education

Rhetoric vs. Reality on Higher Ed

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 29, 2010

I got an email alert from Student PIRGs with the lead in, “College just got less expensive.” Really, that happened? Did anyone notice? Uh no. What they meant is…

Media

Read More: Rhetoric vs. Reality on Higher Ed

Education

Some Facts About School Choice for Joe Hoeffel

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 26, 2010

In the Democrat contest for Pennsylvania Governor, Joe Hoeffel came out swinging, attacking Anthony Williams for supporting school choice. Apparently, Hoeffel thinks the…

Media

Read More: Some Facts About School Choice for Joe Hoeffel

Regulation

Slots vs. Lottery

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 26, 2010

PA Independent summarizes a recent Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee report that concludes slot machine gambling has not undermined lottery sales. I…

Media

Read More: Slots vs. Lottery

Regulation

Illinois Passes Pension Reductions

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 25, 2010

While the Pennsylvania General Assembly is holding hearings to assess our public pension crisis is really bad, or really-really bad, Illinois is acting to reduce state pension benefits…

Media

Read More: Illinois Passes Pension Reductions