Is Shapiro More Ambitious Than Loyal?

• Common Sense Weekly
• April 30, 2025

Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation’s weekly news roundup of policy issues debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.Have you seen our recent social media videos?…

Blog

Health Care

Medicaid Reform Needed to Eliminate Waste and Fraud

• Elizabeth Stelle
• April 23, 2025

Originally published by Morning Call. Our national health-care safety net, known as Medicaid, is fundamentally broken. It prioritizes the healthy over the sick and insurers over patients—with little accountability. Finally,…

Media Hit

Government Accountability

Voter ID Constitutional Amendment

• January 16, 2023

Key Points Voter ID requirements improve election integrity, while voter turnout increases, without impacting election outcomes.Pennsylvania voters support Voter ID requirements by a wide margin, with support across all regions…

Backgrounder

Taxes & Economy

Top Unemployment Compensation Reforms for Pennsylvania

• November 3, 2021

Overview Pennsylvania should reform its unemployment compensation system to pay down state debt, incentivize hiring, increase labor participation, and minimize fraudulent claims. Reforms should protect unemployment compensation for the individuals…

Fact Sheet

Government Accountability

Transparency Can Curb the High Taxpayer Cost of Government Union Contracts

• Jessica Barnett
• August 29, 2019

Behind closed doors, Pennsylvania elected officials routinely negotiate billion-dollar contracts with government unions leaders. Three new contracts will cost an additional $1 billion from 2019-23.

Memo

Health Care

Facts, Not Hate, In Medicaid Debate

• Nathan Benefield
• March 6, 2013

“A few dying residents won’t matter to these people…”  So say supporters of implementing Obamacare in Pennsylvania about our friends at Americans for Prosperity.  AFP launched a new action…

Media

Taxes & Economy

Who’s Nutty Now?

• Charles Mitchell
• August 8, 2011

There’s a ton of chatter out there right now about how nutty the Tea Party is, most recently with 29 percent of voters saying Tea Party members are “economic…

Media

Education

15 School Choice Myths

• February 16, 2011

In an attempt to thwart efforts to give children better educational opportunities, the public school establishment is trying to divert the attention of policymakers through a series of oft-repeated myths…

Fact Sheet

Taxes & Economy

Immigration Verification and Welfare Fraud

• Elizabeth Stelle, Nathan Benefield
• October 6, 2010

Thank you for allowing the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives, a non-partisan educational institute based in Harrisburg, to submit written testimony concerning HB 1359, which would require proof of…

Testimony