While NMF status will lead to an affordable admit to a certain group of safety schools, I don’t think I’d call it a “golden ticket”. Most NMSF kids do not attend those schools. None of the NMSF schools are on OP’s original list.
The truth is we don’t really know OP’s financial situation. He could be looking at a better deal at any number of schools. A couple of schools on his list, Cornell and Northwestern, do meet full financial need.
But it is good for OP to know about the National Merit Schools. He’ll need a few more likely admits for his list. The fact that they’re very affordable or even free, is a big plus.