As Congress looks to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, many are asking how to make health care affordable for Americans. Across the nation, Obamacare increased the number of people holding insurance cards but failed to…
Kelley Uimer closed her independent book shop in Roseville, California after the state raised its minimum wage for the fourth time in ten years. Kelley chose to her pay her workers a wage and compensate them through profit sharing. With each minimum…
2017 is off and running! And what better inspiration to keep working for critical reforms across the states than a look back at some of 2016’s most exciting policy victories. Personal Income Tax Elimination:Tennessee eliminated all state personal income taxes in April, joining seven…
From celebration to soul-searching, post-election analysis is everywhere. While top-of-the-ballot results dominate headlines and your news feed, don’t miss the dramatic shift that occurred election night in Pennsylvania. Republicans achieved historic majorities in both chambers. In the state House, Republicans will…
Lagging job growth, rising taxes and coercive union tactics created an appetite for labor reform throughout the rust belt states. Transforming Labor, the latest policy report from the Commonwealth Foundation, ranks states on their progress toward reforms that can produce…
Twenty-two states rank an abysmal “D” or “F” for the negative impact of their public sector labor laws on taxpayers and government workers. Thirteen fare little better with a “C,” and just seven earn an “A+.” These rankings are revealed…
Pennsylvanians shopping on the health care exchange are in for a rude awakening. This week, the state Insurance Department announced premiums for individual plans will increase by an average of 32 percent. The largest hike is for Highmark customers, who…
In the past six years, Pennsylvania taxpayers’ unfunded pension liability has more than doubled from less than $30 billion to $63 billion. The Keystone State’s pension debt is a large contributor to the $1.2 trillion shortfall in pension funding nationwide. A…
Obamacare is struggling for survival. Despite victories in the courts, state exchanges are in trouble, and Medicaid expansion has been costlier than expected—with no evidence of improved health outcomes. In 2015, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected 21 million Americans…
Twenty years ago President Clinton signed a law creating Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), better known as sweeping welfare reform grounded in work requirements. In 1996, 531,000 adults and children collected cash payments. Today the program enrolls just 167,018….
