Browse by Media Hit and Entitlement Reform

"Don't bother with the myRA," said Giovanetti. "The myRA is touted as a safe, easy, affordable savings plan for workers -- it invests in only U.S. Treasury securities. The website brags about how there are no fees and no complications for employers, and that it's a Roth IRA."

Dr. Merrill Matthews in a recent column wonders why we are seeing such a dramatic increase in people receiving disability payments. Shouldn’t the new technologies and greater access to buildings and facilities make it possible for fewer Americans to receive payments? That is not what has happened.

Means-testing rules for Medicare could mean higher premiums for some same-sex couples on two levels, said IPI's Dr. Merrill Matthews.

You may be surprised abuot who is eligible for the HISD free school meal program in which children up to the age of 18 can eat two meals a day for free, with no registration required. IPI's Merrill Matthews says costs might go down if enrollment was required.

In a new publication, The Private Sector Can Reform Social Security’s Disability Program, Dr. Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, outlines how Galveston County opted out of Social Security in 1981 with Matagorda and Brazoria counties following suit in 1982. The three counties instead adopted what’s known as the “Alternate Plan.”

Illinois and Pennsylvania were the two case studies the IPI used to illustrate Medicaid reform.

Determining how much of the increase in health-care premiums can be attributed to the ACA is tricky, IPI reports. Increases are based on actuarial estimates which are educated guesses about factors including the estimated ratio of sick and healthy people in a particular insurance pool, the normal growth in health-care costs, and government regulations.

IPI's Merrill Matthews analyzed 2013 Census Bureau data and Affordable Care Act figures and concluded that about 52 percent of American households receive benefits from one or more government programs. These figures cut through Democratic spin and make clear that a majority of American households do not pay anywhere near their pro rata share of government spending. This has important implications for both public policy and politics.

Merrill Matthews of the Institute for Policy Innovation makes a powerful case for Social Security reform.

What are MyRAs and are they likely to be any more successful than existing retirement vehicles in encouraging more people, particularly at the lower end of the income scale, to save for retirement?