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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.

FILE- This undated file image provided by Cigna shows the Cigna logo. The insurer Cigna said Thursday, March 8, 2018, that it will spend $52 billion to buy Express Scripts, which administers prescription benefits for more than 80 million people. (Cigna via AP, File)

Cigna announces plan to slash opioid overdose by 25 percent

Cigna, a major health insurer, said Thursday it will partner with employers, doctors and pharmacists in a bid to slash the number of opioid overdoses among its customers by 25 percent by the end of 2021. Published June 21, 2018

FILE - In this May 16, 2013, file photo, House Transportation and Infrastructure Full Committee member Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. The debate over the effectiveness of self-imposed term limits arose again when Mullin appeared noncommittal about leaving Congress in 2018 despite a pledge to serve only serve six years. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

House passes bill to make patient history of drug use more accessible

The House passed bills Wednesday that combat the opioid crisis by making it easier for a doctor to find out if a patient has a history of drug abuse and expanding the number of places where states can send addicted patients and get Medicaid dollars to pay for it. Published June 20, 2018

FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order on health care in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Striving to fulfill a campaign promise, the Trump administration Thursday proposed regulations to facilitate interstate sale of health insurance policies that cost less but may not cover as much. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

NY, Mass. AGs sue over Trump’s Obamacare end-run for small business

Two blue states said Wednesday they will sue the Trump administration over its decision to get around Obamacare by letting small employers and self-employed people pool together and buy health plans that are cheaper and cover fewer benefits than what the 2010 law dictates. Published June 20, 2018

In this Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, file photo, a man plays a game at the Paris Games Week in Paris. The World Health Organization says that compulsively playing video games now qualifies as a new mental health condition, in a move that some critics warn may risk stigmatizing its young players. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)

WHO classifies compulsive gaming as a disorder

The World Health Organization said Monday it plans to classify compulsive video-game playing as an addictive disorder, saying while sessions of "Fortnite" or "Candy Crush Saga" can be simple pleasures for some, they've reached serious, life-disrupting levels among a sliver of the gaming community. Published June 18, 2018

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar prepares to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at a hearing on prescription drug prices, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Before joining the Trump Cabinet, Azar was president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical drug company. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Patient groups leap into latest Obamacare fight

Patient advocates will tell a federal judge on Thursday to reject the Trump administration's position that much of Obamacare is now illegal, warning that if more people are kicked out of their health plans, "they die." Published June 13, 2018

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., left, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, greets Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar the witness at a hearing on prescription drug prices, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Alex Azar, Democrats clash over drug company rebates

The Trump administration may demand drug companies offer fixed discounts to lower prices, Health Secretary Alex M. Azar II said Tuesday, saying the current system of drug companies offering complex rebates isn't producing enough savings for consumers. Published June 12, 2018

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., left, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, greets Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar the witness at a hearing on prescription drug prices, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Before joining the Trump Cabinet, Azar was president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical drug company. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Lamar Alexander protests push to end Obamacare protections

Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander on Tuesday challenged the Trump administration's response to the latest suit against Obamacare, saying there is "no way" Capitol Hill lawmakers intended to let the 2010 program's protections for sick Americans fall by the wayside. Published June 12, 2018

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar prepares to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at a hearing on prescription drug prices, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Before joining the Trump Cabinet, Azar was president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical drug company. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Alex Azar, HHS chief: Refusal to defend Obamacare is a ‘legal’ position

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday said the Justice Department's decision not to defend Obamacare against a state-driven lawsuit is a "legal position" -- not a "policy position" -- and that President Trump still feels sicker Americans deserve access to affordable health insurance. Published June 12, 2018

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar prepares to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at a hearing on prescription drug prices, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Before joining the Trump Cabinet, Azar was president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical drug company. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats to Trump: Where are the drug-price cuts?

Democrats pressed President Trump to deliver on his push to slash drug costs Tuesday, saying they're still waiting for the "volunteer massive" drops in prices he hinted at two weeks ago. Published June 12, 2018

FILE - This Aug. 15, 2017 file photo shows an arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen in New York. American Dental Association on Monday, March 26, 2018, said it is pressing for seven-day prescription limits and mandatory education that encourages using other painkillers. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File) **FILE**

House set to vote on measures for fighting opioid addiction

The House will take its first major steps to change the policies that fuel the addiction, hoping to alter the prescription regime that gets some people hooked, reel in leftover pills that fuel addiction and disrupt the supply chain of illegal heroin and fentanyl that is killing thousands of people per year Published June 11, 2018

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stabbed President Trump in the back with amateurish attacks over trade, White House officials said Sunday. (Associated Press)

Justin Trudeau’s remarks rile Donald Trump’s aides

President Trump stirred up a hornet's nest during last week's summit of major world leaders, suggesting they agree to embrace a full free-trade world with no tariffs or barriers -- and then withdrawing from the summit's joint communique after he felt insulted. Published June 10, 2018

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham speaks during a press conference with Senator Chris Coons in Amman, Jordan, Monday, Feb. 20, 2018. Graham, the chairman of a U.S. Senate panel dealing with foreign aid said Tuesday that a new agreement granting Jordan $1.275 billion a year through 2022 “is a floor” and that Congress is likely to authorize additional financial support for the kingdom. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Lindsey Graham says Donald Trump ‘not going to capitulate’ to North Korea

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina says President Trump is "very much ready" to set the table for a peaceful resolution to North Korea's nuclear threat, though he won't back down "like we've done in the past." "Donald Trump is not going to capitulate, so there's really only two options -- peace or war," Mr. Graham told ABC's This Week on Sunday. Published June 10, 2018