By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“Many of our businesses are at their breaking point … but with every year that passes, it seems like we’re hearing more and more from our business owners that they believe it’s just simply unsustainable for them.” — Greg Moreland, the Pennsylvania State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), in the face of expected double-digit premium increases for some health plans.
A good Thursday morning to you. It’s taken a lot of willpower the last few days to avoid the piles of candy on our kitchen counter. Here's hoping a lot o’ trick-or-treaters will stop by this evening to take it off our hands.
In 1682, the founder of this great commonwealth made his first landing on property that still bears his name today. William Penn set foot in the Province of Pennsylvania on October 28 or 29. The site is marked with a monument in what was originally known as Upland, but was renamed Chester not long after Penn’s arrival.
We appreciate you. With five days left before the election, thanks for starting your day off with us by reading, sharing our voter guide and supporting our work. — Tim
Healthcare costs are rising (again) in 2027 — and some people think it's time to start considering universal healthcare as an option. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)
As healthcare costs spike for Pa. employers and employees, state House Dems pitch universal coverage
By Whitney Downard
As millions of Pennsylvanians navigate their health insurance options during open enrollment, many could face double-digit premium increases over last year’s costs. The growth is reviving debates over universal healthcare and the government’s role in price-setting.
Employers across the nation expect prices to grow by 8.2% in 2027, the biggest recorded increase since 2003, according to consulting firm Marsh. More than one-third of the 1,800 surveyed employers anticipated increases over 10%.
According to KFF, job-based plans for workers are 9% higher this year than they were in 2025, with an annual cost of $7,471 for a family. For employees at businesses with less than 200 staff, it’s even more expensive.
For Rep. Greg Scott (D-Montgomery) and a select number of other liberal lawmakers, the continued cost burden signals a need to shift to a single payer system that covers all Pennsylvanians.
Aqilah David fought to get Act 1 of 2022 passed in Pennsylvania when she was a teen. Now 26, she works with multiple organizations to help formerly incarcerated youth. (Photo by Kriston Jae Bethel for Chalkbeat)
By Sammy Caiola of Chalkbeat
Nobody was looking out for Aqilah David when she came home from incarceration.
At least that’s how it felt when she returned to her Philadelphia high school in 2018, after several months in a juvenile facility. The school’s administrators had marked her absent for much of the time she’d been away. Even though she’d taken classes while incarcerated, she had to fight to prove she had. She ended up graduating late.
“It just feels like a whole waste of your time, and it’s not a good feeling,” she said of her experience.
David then joined an effort to push for help for students like her — and won. Pennsylvania lawmakers moved to ensure more students get the credits they’ve earned in classes behind bars with a 2022 law called Act 1.
But nearly five years later, David and others say students are still facing the same problems.
Voter registration trends in Pennsylvania as of October 19, 2026. Key: Navy – D+5,000 or more, Blue – D+1,001 to D+4,999, Light Skyblue – D+1 to D+1,000. Light Salmon – R+1 to R+1,000, Red – R+1,001 to R+4,999, Maroon – R+5,000 or more. Yellow – No Net Change. (Map by Nick Field via Dave’s Redistricting)
COMMENTARY
By Nick Field
Pennsylvania Democrats have all the momentum at their backs as they hope for a Blue Wave to sweep the November 3rd midterm elections.
Since 2015, I’ve examined the voter registration trends in the Keystone State across dozens of articles over the last decade-plus. In that time, I’ve never created a map as blue as the one above. For the most part, Pennsylvania Republicans have consistently gained ground on their Democratic counterparts in the Trump Era.
Beyond our borders, political observers are always eagerly watching a swing state like Pennsylvania to get a sense of the national mood. So let’s take a deeper dive into these numbers.
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry, former chairman of the Freedom Caucus, speaks with reporters following a closed-door meeting of GOP lawmakers on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
By Jordan Wilkie of WITF
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, representing Pennsylvania’s 10th congressional district, is facing an ethics complaint for posting to his campaign Facebook page a video that appears to have been recorded in his congressional office.
Number one on the U.S. House Committee on Ethics’ top 10 list for things to remember about campaign activity states, “You may not conduct campaign activities in official buildings or using official resources.”
Neither Perry’s campaign nor his congressional office responded by the time of publication.
Defend the Vote, a liberal Political Action Committee, filed the ethics complaint Monday with the Office of Congressional Conduct. The office conducts investigations and, if deemed appropriate, turns them over to the House Committee on Ethics.
Independent reporting on Pennsylvania state government that impacts communities statewide — free to read and republish.
That means there are no subscription fees or paywalls, so people across the state can have easy access to our work whether they can afford to make a donation or not.
Here’s where you come in.
You can make a one-time gift of $25, $50 or $100 or you can "set it and forget it," by making a monthly contribution between $10 and $50.
Join your friends and neighbors — like Kathleen from Bryn Mawr, Pamela from Reading and Sharon from Harrisburg — as donors today.
TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
Film aims to change understanding of the climate and migration crises: The HBO documentary from Pennsylvanian Josh Fox takes viewers into communities on six continents that he visited over a nine-year period. It follows climate migrants who are victims of wildfires floods and hurricanes, back to the homes from which they fled or the new ones to which they relocated.
Courts to decide fate of Trump’s latest push to control voting: Less than a week before Election Day, President Donald Trump’s unprecedented drive for power over elections has set the stage for a series of courtroom fights that could quickly lead to a high-stakes showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court over the limits of federal authority.
Early voting surges in midterm elections as millions cast their ballots: As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 34 million people have either gone to the polls to cast a ballot or have mailed in their vote, and the current tally is on track to surpass early voting in the 2022 midterm elections, said Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at University of Florida.
Permanent daylight saving time bill awaiting US Senate action: Most of the nation returns to standard time Sunday morning, and Congress could decide as early as next month whether it will be the last time people have to change their clocks.
ICYMI
What to expect in Pennsylvania at the polls a week from today: One week out from Election Day, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt advised voters to be patient, both with those working the polls and those counting ballots as part of a high stakes midterm election.
An electric utility wants to fix Pa.’s competitive energy market: When Pennsylvania’s largest electric utility proposed a change to the commonwealth’s competitive electricity marketplace, saying it could save customers millions of dollars, consumer advocates said they were on board. Utility regulators, however, said last week they want to study the issue on a statewide basis
Thanks for reading Morning Guide. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.