Articles written by Merrill Matthew


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  • Price controls on drugs limit access more than price

    MERRILL MATTHEWS, Contributor|Updated Jun 6, 2019

    Congressional Democrats want to fundamentally transform Medicare by imposing socialist price controls on prescription drugs. But they know such drastic changes would be dead-on-arrival in the Republican-held Senate. In the meantime, some of them are coalescing behind a more moderate-sounding proposal that would achieve a similar result. This proposal, known as “binding arbitration,” would allow government-appointed arbitrators to dictate, er “negotiate,” drug prices. Currently, Medicare pays for drugs in different ways. M...

  • Steel tariffs are now stealing your gasoline savings

    MERRILL MATTHEWS, Contributor|Updated May 9, 2019

    President Trump’s pro-energy policies are on a collision course with his protectionist policies. Let’s hope, for the sake of the economy and energy independence, energy policies prevail. At a time when U.S. oil production is at an all-time high, the president’s tariffs on metals are raising the cost of pipeline and drilling materials. In the last few years, breakthroughs in extracting oil and natural gas secured America’s spot as a top energy producer. Last year, U.S. production surpassed both Russia and Saudi Arabia....

  • There's another train wreck headed for the White House

    MERRILL MATTHEW, Contributor|Updated Dec 30, 2013

    Do you think the Obamacare rollout raises important questions about government mandates, confusion, penalties and just how well bureaucrats can manage complicated issues? It’s not the only one. There are a number of similarities between Obamacare and an energy mandate known as the “renewable fuel standard.” Just consider: The federal government mandates consumers use both products (health insurance and renewable fuels), because the vast majority of people otherwise wouldn’t. It sets the guidelines for what must be used, a...