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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 Dec. 15, 2017, file photo, the HealthCare.gov website is photographed in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) ** FILE **

Obamacare rates set to spike 12 to 32 percent next year: Study

Premiums under Obamacare will increase from 12 percent to 32 percent next year unless the federal government steps in, according to a new study that examines the fallout from President Trump's attempts to chip away at the program. Published March 8, 2018

"Today's health care system is simply not delivering outcomes commensurate with its cost — President Trump knows it, and the American people know it too," said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. (Associated Press/File)

HHS tells insurers to gird for radical change in health delivery

The Trump administration is committed to transforming the health care system into one that emphasizes value over marathon tests with hazy prices, while empowering consumers to find doctors and services the way they find restaurants on Yelp or Open Table, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told health insurers Thursday. Published March 8, 2018

Mainers for Health Care rally outside the State House prior to Gov. Paul LePage's State of the State address, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Augusta, Maine. The coalition that supported the successful Yes on 2 campaign to expand Medicaid in 2017 say LePage and his allies in the Legislature are trying to block Medicaid expansion, which is now state law. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Obamacare premiums to increase over Congressional disagreements

Everyone in Washington wants to slash health insurance premiums under Obamacare, but key players can't seem to agree on the terms, leaving the push in jeopardy even as insurers try to size up the program and set rates for the coming year. Published March 7, 2018

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar recently said medication-assisted treatment is a proven method for treating addicted people, yet only a third of substance abuse programs offer it. (Associated Press/File)

CDC: ER visits for opioid overdose up 30 percent in recent year

Emergency room visits from opioid overdoses spiked by 30 percent across the U.S. from mid-2016 to late 2017, the government said in a sobering report Tuesday that underscored the need for resources to reel in a worsening crisis. Published March 6, 2018

Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks at a news conference Monday, March 5, 2018, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., with Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Verma on Monday approved a state plan to require that thousands of people on its Medicaid expansion seek ways to work or volunteer. Traditional Medicaid recipients are not affected. Arkansas is the third state to win permission, following Kentucky and Indiana. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

Donald Trump approves Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas

The Trump administration approved Arkansas's request to impose a work requirement on thousands of Medicaid enrollees, but put off a decision on the state's controversial request to be able to do an Obamacare-lite expansion. Published March 5, 2018

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., testifies during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to become the US ambassador to Russia, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ** FILE **

Joe Manchin proposes changes to 2016 opioids law

Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia filed legislation Monday that would rewrite a controversial 2016 law that made it more difficult for the Drug Enforcement Administration to suspend shipments of opioids that could be diverted to the illicit market. Published March 5, 2018

Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collecting data from emergency rooms, rather than waiting for death certificates, to study opioid overdoses. (Associated Press/File)

Anne Schuchat, CDC chief, tackles opioid crisis

Dr. Anne Schuchat joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the late 1980s after her post-medical school training coincided with the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis, giving her a firsthand look at a public health crisis. Published March 4, 2018

"I think we've been involved more than any administration, by far," President Trump said at a White House summit on the opioid and heroin crisis. (Associated Press/File)

Donald Trump comforts opioids survivors, vows tough fight

President Trump on Thursday comforted those who lost children to the opioids epidemic and decried "weak" U.S. penalties against drug pushers, saying countries with harsher penalties, including executions, have less of a problem. Published March 1, 2018

First lady Melania Trump speaks at the White House Opioid Summit in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, Thursday, March 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Melania Trump: ‘Much more work to be done’ on opioids

First Lady Melania Trump kicked off an opioids summit Thursday by saying she is "so proud" of the administration's efforts to combat addiction but that far too many Americans still need treatment, a shoulder to cry on and belief they're not alone in the fight. Published March 1, 2018

In this Wednesday, April 5, 2017, file photo, Dr. Scott Gottlieb speaks during his confirmation hearing before a Senate committee, in Washington, as President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Feds take on clinical, commercial roots of opioids crisis

Food and Drug Administrator Scott Gottlieb said Thursday his agency will be "very aggressive" in warning consumers about opioid-related products or taking them off the market, noting for too long, people thought the U.S. drug epidemic was welling up from the illicit heroin market. Published March 1, 2018

Catherine Reviati reviews the different Affordable Care Act enrollment options, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) ** FILE **

Majority now favors Obamacare: Poll

Obamacare has reached new heights of popularity, with a firm majority of Americans holding a favorable view of the health care law in a closely watched poll being released Thursday. Published March 1, 2018

"We're hopeful that [Mr. Trump] doesn't pass judgement," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, adding he only defends Texas statutes he deems constitutional. "Certainly, the president has been very critical of Obamacare." (Associated Press)

Obamacare lawsuit: Republican AGs tell Trump ‘let us win’

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, leading the latest attempt to kill Obamacare in the courts, said Tuesday the Trump administration should "let us win" instead of defending the program, saying a victory could be the spur that Congress needs to replace the 2010 law after several failures. Published February 27, 2018

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

Senators unveil sequel to major 2016 opioids bill

A bipartisan crop of senators on Tuesday unveiled a sequel to landmark 2016 legislation that targeted the opioids crisis, saying Congress should make sure a brand-new batch of federal dollars are directed toward programs that work. Published February 27, 2018

States file lawsuit against revoking Obamacare rule

Twenty states filed a lawsuit Monday arguing the new law President Trump signed last year revoking Obamacare's individual mandate actually makes the rest of the 2010 health law unconstitutional as well. Published February 26, 2018

In this June 27, 2017, file photo, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, right, joined by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, left, speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Governors push for bipartisan middle ground on health care

Congress should restore contested Obamacare payments but let the states and private sector innovate to drive down costs, a trio of governors said Friday, stepping into the policy void left by a Congress deadlocked over fixing Obamacare. Published February 23, 2018

This Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, photo shows an arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen in New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison) ** FILE **

House panel pledges to make opioids its ‘top priority’

Fighting the opioid epidemic will be the top priority for the House Energy and Commerce Committee over the next few months as Congress tries to put some substantive muscle behind President Trump's declaration of emergency on prescription painkiller and heroin abuse. Published February 22, 2018

In this May 24, 2017, file photo, Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., presides over a House Budget Committee meeting in Washington. Black announced on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, that she is joining the Tennessee governor's race. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)

Diane Black, campaigning for Tenn. governor, releases opioid strategy

Hoping to stand out in a crowded field for Tennessee governor, Rep. Diane Black released a comprehensive blueprint Wednesday for tackling the opioid crisis, making her the latest 2018 candidate to highlight an epidemic that is ravaging U.S. communities. Published February 21, 2018