Health Care

Note to Lawmakers: The Power Is Yours!

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 22, 2013

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…

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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).

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Health Care

Saylor Broaches Biggest Budget Buster

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 26, 2012

Pensions and transportation top the list of crises the General Assembly won’t address in their short fall session, but little has been said about the biggest budget buster facing the…

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Health Care

Pennsylvania Medicaid Spending and the Affordable Care Act

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • September 17, 2012

Current Medicaid spending trends are unsustainable.  Medicaid spending (Medical Assistance and Long Term Care) consumes about 30 percent of Pennsylvania's total state operating budget.  In the past decade, Medicaid spending…

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Regulation

Mailbag: What Bills Would Fireproof Economy?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • September 11, 2012

One of our PolicyBlog readers asks: What bills would help address the Four Alarm Fire you keep speaking about? Here are a few bills we have been tracking: Taxpayer…

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Health Care

State Officials Give Medicaid Expansion a Thumbs Down

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • August 7, 2012

Is expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act a good idea for states? According to state budget directors across the country, the answer is a resounding no.  A recent survey conducted by…

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Public Union Democracy

Big Bucks for Government Union Bosses

  • Priya Brannick
  • March 8, 2012

Union bosses frequently criticize corporate CEOs and government leaders for supposedly taking home hefty pay at workers’ expense. Just this week, protesters picketed House Majority Whip Stan Saylor’s office…

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Public Union Democracy

Construction Workers Picket Rep. Saylor

  • Priya Brannick
  • March 6, 2012

No sooner did we release research documenting the iron grip of Pennsylvania’s labor unions on the commonwealth’s taxpayers than they obliged us with a case-in-point on union bullying tactics.

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Government Accountability

Reining in Spending with Performance-Based Budgeting

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • May 4, 2011

The House State Government Committee held a hearing today on reforming the budgeting process. HB 726, sponsored by Rep. Stan Saylor, would institute performance based-budgeting. Today, most of the…

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