Education
Voters Are Concerned About Shapiro’s Spending
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
Read More: Voters Are Concerned About Shapiro’s SpendingHealth Care
How Welfare Reforms in the OBBB Protect Pennsylvanians
Summary Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as Food Stamps, were intended to help provide health insurance and food for low-income seniors,…
Fact Sheet
Read More: How Welfare Reforms in the OBBB Protect PennsylvaniansHealth Care
How to Help Pennsylvanians Prosper with Medicaid and SNAP Reform
Work requirements, strengthening eligibility verification, and prioritizing traditional enrollees will lead to better outcomes. Summary The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid programs are intended to help adults increase…
Fact Sheet
Read More: How to Help Pennsylvanians Prosper with Medicaid and SNAP ReformState Budget
Deficit Watch: March 2025
Background Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2024–25 General Fund budget created a $3.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025–26 budget…
Deficit Watch
Read More: Deficit Watch: March 2025Education
The High Cost of Pa. K–12 Education Failures
Key Points The cost and risk of failure in our K–12 system is high. Low academic achievement is a predictor of lower lifetime incomes and higher costs for taxpayers. On…
Backgrounder
Read More: The High Cost of Pa. K–12 Education FailuresEducation
Education Opportunity Accounts in Practice
Key Points Education Opportunity Accounts (EOAs) are transformative, flexible-use accounts funded by state tax dollars.Program Administration: The Pennsylvania Treasury is the ideal administrator at the state level and may contract…
Backgrounder
Read More: Education Opportunity Accounts in PracticeWelfare
Unwinding Medicaid Continuous Enrollment
Summary On April 1, Pennsylvania returned to normal Medicaid eligibility rules and began a year-long process of redetermining eligibility for all 3.68 million beneficiaries.Medicaid spending grows faster than our state…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Unwinding Medicaid Continuous EnrollmentTaxes & Economy
Minimum Wage
Summary One percent of Pennsylvania workers earn the minimum wage, an all-time low.Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Recent analysis by Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Minimum WageIndependence
Pa’s Wayward Welfare State
Summary Policies that expanded Medicaid eligibility to healthy, working-aged people and do not require the verification of eligibility have expanded the size and complexity of a program designed to focus…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Pa’s Wayward Welfare State