Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Donald Trump declares opioid crisis a ‘national emergency’
President Trump directed his administration Thursday to treat the opioid epidemic as a national emergency, following through on his own commission's advice just days after his health secretary suggested the president didn't need additional powers to fight the scourge of heroin and prescription painkiller abuse. Published August 10, 2017
Teen pregnancy prevention grants to be trimmed under Trump
The Trump administration is cutting short a batch of Teen Pregnancy Prevention grants, angering big-city health department chiefs who said Wednesday they will no longer be able to figure out what's working to cut pregnancy rates. Published August 9, 2017
Opioid overdose deaths rising despite efforts: Gov’t report
Drug overdose deaths spiked in the first nine months of 2016, according to government data that suggests the opioid crisis is still killing an alarming number of Americans despite nationwide efforts to get a handle on the epidemic. Published August 8, 2017
Senate moves on from Obamacare debate with bipartisan drug bills
The Senate unanimously approved bills Thursday that would let dying patients try medicines that haven't won full regulatory approval and inform doctors if a patient is a recovering drug addict, so they can prescribe safe treatment. Published August 3, 2017
Obamacare battle: Governors implore Donald Trump to guarantee insurer payments
Governors from both parties implored President Trump to guarantee critical Obamacare payments to insurers though next year, arguing it is within the White House's power to help steady a wobbly individual insurance market. Published August 2, 2017
Xavier Becerra Eric Schneiderman can intervene in Obamacare payment case
Democratic state attorneys general can intervene in a court case over critical Obamacare payments that President Trump has threatened to cut off, a federal appeals court said Tuesday, finding the states demonstrated the risk of premium hikes and an uptick in the number of uninsured people seeking expensive care at state-funded hospitals. Published August 1, 2017
Senate health panel to hold hearings on stabilizing Obamacare
Bipartisan leaders of the Senate Health Committee announced Tuesday they will hold hearings on stabilizing the individual insurance markets when Congress returns from its summer recess in September. Published August 1, 2017
Conservatives urge Donald Trump to revoke Obamacare subsidy for Congress
Top conservatives challenged President Trump on Monday to revoke the special $12,000 Obamacare subsidy members of Congress receive each year courtesy of taxpayers, saying the best way to force lawmakers back to the bargaining table is to force them to fully obey the struggling law. Published July 31, 2017
Cutting off Obamacare reimbursements would harm Donald Trump’s image, say experts
President Trump has renewed his threat to yank critical Obamacare reimbursements from health insurers but experts said it's likely an empty gesture, insisting that if he does cut off the payments it would leave the markets even wobblier — and the GOP would get the blame. Published July 31, 2017
Health care system a bipartisan problem in Congress
Dozens of U.S. counties might not have any plans to choose from on Obamacare's insurance exchanges next year while consumers with options face double-digit rate increases in many places -- putting Congress to choose among bipartisan fixes to the program, doubling down on repeal or following President Trump's advice to "let it implode." Published July 30, 2017
Senate Democrats call for reset, quick fixes on health care
Senate Democrats called on Republicans to immediately shore up Obamacare's flagging insurance markets and "sit down and trade ideas" over health reforms, extending an olive branch after the GOP push to repeal the 2010 law fell into tatters early Friday. Published July 28, 2017
John McCain ‘no’ vote kills Obamacare repeal effort in Senate
Drained by self-inflicted wounds, shifting aims and unrelenting protests, Republicans' push to kill off President Obama's signature health law sputtered out of gas early Friday, as Senate leaders failed to rally the votes for a significantly pared-down repeal bill in a vote after midnight. Published July 28, 2017
Paul Ryan will use Skinny repeal to prolong health talks blasts Senate
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday he is willing to use a slimmed-down repeal of Obamacare to prolong talks on a broader health overhaul, rather than ignoring Senate wishes and passing it outright. Published July 27, 2017
Lindsey Graham John McCain call Skinny Repeal Health bill a disaster
Four Senate Republicans said Thursday they will not support a "skinny repeal" of Obamacare unless House Speaker Paul D. Ryan guarantees that it will be used to prolong talks on a broader overhaul, rather than make its way to the White House. Published July 27, 2017
Senate GOP to Dems: Declare your stance on single-payer
Senate Republicans, driven by their push to repeal Obamacare, turned the spotlight on Democrats Thursday by forcing them to stake out a position on a controversial alternative to the GOP's free-market push -- government-run, single-payer health care. Published July 27, 2017
Senate rejects ‘straight repeal’ of Obamacare
The push for a "clean" repeal of Obamacare died Wednesday after Senate Republicans were unable to rally the votes, forcing leaders to turn to watered-down proposals that would repeal only some of the onerous parts of the troubled health care law. Published July 26, 2017
Senate forges ahead with thorny repeal push
Senate Republicans barreled ahead with their uphill battle to repeal and possibly replace Obamacare Wednesday, reviving a 2015 bill that would gut much of the President Obama's overhaul within two years. Published July 26, 2017
Senate votes to proceed onto GOP health bill
Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to begin the debate on how to overhaul Obamacare, overcoming a series of false starts and setting up a weeklong showdown over options ranging from a full repeal to a complicated Republican replacement. Published July 25, 2017
Rand Paul ready to back health care motion, cites pledges to seek form of repeal
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Tuesday he will support a pivotal motion to debate a GOP health care bill, after party leaders signaled they will give "clean repeal" of Obamacare top billing and consider a more limited repeal if they cannot muster the votes for a bigger plan. Published July 25, 2017
Senate to begin debate on Republicans’ repeal, replace health care bill
President Trump on Monday prodded Republican holdouts to live up to their campaign promises as the Senate GOP hurtled toward a showdown over their seven-year push to kill Obamacare. Published July 24, 2017
