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Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr. covers politics and the White House for The Washington Times. He can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this Feb. 19, 2013, file photo, OxyContin pills are arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

Drug cartels return to producing meth, cocaine after opioid crack down

The rate of opioid overdose deaths began to plateau in early 2018, notching a victory for public health officials — but like water seeking the path of least resistance, adaptive drug cartels are turning back to the previous moneymakers of cocaine and methamphetamine. Published December 30, 2018

Protesters walk past a burning tyre in the Eastern Congolese town of Beni, Friday Dec. 28, 2018, as they demonstrate against the election postponed until March 2019, announced by Congo's electoral commission for Beni residents that is blamed on a deadly Ebola outbreak. Congo's leader Joseph Kabila has blamed a deadly Ebola virus outbreak for the last-minute decision to keep an estimated 1 million voters from the polls in Sunday's long-delayed presidential election. (AP Photo/Al-hadji Kudra Maliro)

Protests disrupt Ebola response in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Outrage over the Democratic Republic of the Congo's decision to postpone an election in Ebola-affected parts of the country are disrupting the response to the virus, as protests spilled Thursday from government buildings into an assessment center for patients, the World Health Organization said. Published December 28, 2018

Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, said the IRS is "presumably getting better at running the system as a whole," regarding the overpayment issue. (Associated Press)

IRS unable to recoup nearly $1 billion in Obamacare subsidies

The IRS overpaid nearly $4 billion to Obamacare customers through tax credits last year, and because of the way the law is written it can't even try to collect on a quarter of that, the Treasury Department's inspector general reported this week. Published December 27, 2018

More than half of the states and hundreds of cities, counties and American Indian tribes have taken the pharmaceutical industry — a major political contributor — to court over the opioids epidemic. (Associated Press/File)

States, tribes sue opioid makers over addiction epidemic

States, counties and Indian tribes that sued opioid makers over their role in the overdose crisis are poised to have their day in court in a make-or-break 2019, as pretrial wrangling gives way to showdowns before judges and juries. Published December 27, 2018

Pfizer said its system's rebates and discounts rise just as fast for patients. "We believe the best means to address affordability of medicines is to reduce the growing out-of-pocket costs that consumers are facing due to high deductibles and coinsurance, and ensure that patients receive the benefit of rebates at the pharmacy counter," said CEO Ian C. Read. (Associated Press)

Pfizer, Novartis, Big Pharma drug companies to end price freeze, raise costs in new year

President Trump was riding high in July after a series of strident tweets and personal phone calls paid off: Pfizer, a top drug manufacturer, had decided to defer price increases for the rest of the year. He called it "great news" for American consumers, and other companies followed suit. They froze their prices while the White House worked on a prescription-pricing blueprint. But with New Year's Day looming, the freeze is thawing. Published December 26, 2018

California Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom successfully campaigned on pushing the state for a sweeping, single-payer health care system. Other Democratic governors-elect are also looking to expand health care coverage and to reform the system. (Associated Press)

Democrats look to states to expand Medicare coverage

Democrats' plans for "Medicare for all" are likely to stall in a divided Congress, leaving liberal activists looking to the states in 2019, hoping newly elected progressive champions will try to push the boundaries beyond Obamacare. Published December 23, 2018

CDC: Animal doctors far more likely to take own lives

Veterinarians are far more likely to take their own lives than the general population, the government said Thursday in a study that finds animal doctors' workload, high debt and easy access to pharmaceuticals are driving the alarming trend. Published December 20, 2018

The HealthCare.gov website is photographed in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. Health insurance sign-ups for the Affordable Care Act are down with just a few days left to enroll in most states, even though premiums are stable, consumers have more choice, and millions of uninsured people can still get financial help. The nation’s uninsured rate could edge up again. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

HealthCare.gov signups finish at 8.5 million — down 300K

Roughly 8.5 million people selected plans or were automatically re-enrolled on HealthCare.gov, which is the portal for residents in most states. That's 300,000 fewer than the last sign-up season a year ago. Published December 19, 2018