National Health Care Policy Analyst Available to Discuss Senate’s Obamacare Replacement Bill

DALLAS, June 21 -- The Institute for Policy Innovation issued the following news release:

Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) resident scholar Merrill Matthews, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized health policy expert available for insight and commentary regarding the Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as it is unveiled later this week and what the legislation means for health care consumers.

Dr. Matthews, author of "Ten Principles of a Market-Oriented Health Care System," is contributor to Forbes, serves on the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and is a past president of the Health Economics Roundtable for the National Association for Business Economics, the largest trade association of business economists.

According to Matthews, Obamacare is a political and health care disaster that has disrupted or eliminated good health insurance options that millions of Americans enjoyed. Yet its apologists are still defending its outrageously high deductibles, exploding premiums, "skinny" provider networks, and increasingly limited coverage options. "Indeed, while some 1,200 counties will only have one insurer selling through the Obamacare exchange in 2018, defenders are relieved they still have ONE," said Matthews. "Apparently, 47 counties won't even have that many."

Republicans have made a number of missteps in their effort to undo Obamacare, said Matthews. And while the House's reform bill still leaves the health insurance market too regulated, Matthews makes the case that it's vastly better than Obamacare because it gives states the freedom to once again create functioning health insurance markets.

Matthews has been featured on The Fox News Channel, Fox Business Channel, The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, Barron's, USA Today, and the Washington Times. He was an award-winning political analyst for the USA Radio Network.