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Merrill Matthews

Resident Scholar

Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, a research-based, public policy “think tank.” He is a health policy expert and opinion contributor at The Hill. He also serves on the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Dr. Matthews is a past president of the Health Economics Roundtable for the National Association for Business Economics, the largest trade association of business economists. Dr. Matthews also served for 10 years as the medical ethicist for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s Institutional Review Board for Human Experimentation, co-author of On the Edge: America Faces the Entitlements Cliff, and has contributed chapters to several books, including Physician Assisted SuicideExpanding the Debate and The 21st Century Health Care Leader and Stop Paying the Crooks (on Medicare fraud).  

He has been published in numerous journals and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Barron’s, USA Today, Forbes magazine and the Washington Times.  He was an award-winning political analyst for the USA Radio Network. 

Dr. Matthews received his Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas.

April 21, 2020

Destroying the Health Care System to Save it

The COVID-19 lockdowns intended to save the health care system have imposed significant challenges, and many hospitals may not survive the efforts to save them.  

April 20, 2020

The World Can Thank President Trump for the Oil Deal

The U.S. energy industry won’t recover overnight, but the Saudi-Russian deal, brokered by Trump, may mean we will still have an energy industry to revive.

April 16, 2020

Physicians Still Waiting for Flexibility in Prescribing to Suicidal Patients

IPI expert referenced: Merrill Matthews

After publicly calling attention to the problem eight years, physicians say there has been little to no change in the way insurance companies cover prescription medications for suicidal patients considered in danger of a drug overdose.

April 14, 2020

COVID-19-Induced Health Care Rationing a Preview of Medicare for All

COVID-19 is exposing Americans to debates over rationing health care, something government-run health care systems deal with all the time

April 7, 2020

The Media's Obsession with Hydroxychloroquine and Donald Trump

The media's latest obsession is attacking President Trump for "playing doctor" when he highlights doctors' reports of a successful treatment for COVID-19.

April 3, 2020

Pandemic-induced Protectionism Endangers Lives

The pandemic has demonstrated the need for more diversity in the pharmaceutical supply chain, not less.

March 31, 2020

Can Federalism Survive the Coronavirus?

National emergencies can pose a threat to our federalist system of government. So far, President Trump has tried respect that federal-state balance of power.  

March 27, 2020

Trump's Desire to Reopen the Country by Easter May Not Be Far-Fetched

There are reasons to hope this crisis may pass sooner and with less economic and human damage than we are being led to believe.

May 1, 2020

Are Hospitals 'gaming the system' on COVID Cases?

IPI expert referenced: Merrill Matthews

A major national newspaper is reporting that hospitals and doctors get paid more if Medicare patients are listed as COVID-19 and on ventilators.

April 28, 2020

The Coming Fire Sale of COVID-19 Ventilators

Need a ventilator—cheap? The U.S. will have thousands upon thousands of unused ones--thanks to billions of taxpayer dollars and little data to guide such policy decisions.

Total Records: 1735