Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
More Americans say Obamacare is a pain than a cure: Gallup poll
Americans are more likely to say Obamacare is a burden than a net benefit, according to a new poll that finds nearly three in 10 people think the health overhaul has hurt them and their family. Published September 8, 2016
Joe Biden to GOP: Deal with Zika, guns and Judge Merrick Garland
Vice President Joseph R. Biden reprised his role as the consummate Capitol Hill dealmaker Thursday by urging his former GOP sparring partners to dispense with a series of election-year crises that are "bigger than partisan politics." Published September 8, 2016
Congress seeks to break impasse over Zika funding
Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday reached for a way out of a months-long impasse over funding to combat the Zika virus, as the election-year standoff gets snared in a broader fight over how to keep the government running beyond this month. Published September 7, 2016
David Jolly brings mosquitoes to House floor to highlight Zika
An easel and a chart or two just weren't good enough for Rep. David Jolly of Florida on Wednesday, who brought a jar of about 100 mosquitoes to the House floor on Wednesday to highlight the perils of the Zika virus in his home state. Published September 7, 2016
HHS: Uninsured rate down to 8.6 percent, its lowest point
The nation's uninsured rate has fallen to its lowest point on record, the administration announced Wednesday, taking a victory lap on Obamacare just as the issue is heating up for voters. Published September 7, 2016
Senate Democrats again block Republicans’ Zika plan, decry Planned Parenthood exclusion
Capitol Hill returned to its gridlocked ways without missing a beat Tuesday, as Senate Democrats renewed their filibuster of Zika-fighting money, and it became clear a seven-week summer vacation did nothing to cut through the paralysis in Congress. Published September 6, 2016
GOP leaders pledge short-term deal to keep government open
Congress returned from a lengthy summer recess Tuesday tasked with averting a government shutdown by Oct. 1and busting a months-long stalemate on funding to combat the Zika virus. Published September 6, 2016
Zephyr Teachout, New York House candidate, runs on Bernie Sanders’ grass roots
Zephyr Teachout, a liberal law professor, shocked political insiders when she swiped a third of the Democratic vote from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the 2014 primary, offering a preview of hard-left discontent that has bubbled over in this year's presidential race. Published September 5, 2016
Kelly Ayotte’s ‘crossover appeal’ tested against headwinds of Donald Trump’s campaign
For years, Sen. Kelly Ayotte cast herself as a free-thinking voice for New Hampshire, chastising Republican firebrands who hurtled into the 2013 government shutdown without a clear escape plan while supporting conservative bids to defund Planned Parenthood over its abortion practice. Published September 4, 2016
WHO: No Olympics-related Zika cases so far
There have been no confirmed reports of Zika infection among people who attended the Olympic Games, the World Health Organization said Friday, saying the good news to date justifies their decision not to interfere with the event in hard-hit Brazil. Published September 2, 2016
Sylvia Mathews Burwell pushes Congress for more Zika funds after virus found in Florida mosquitoes
Mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been caught in Miami Beach — a first for the continental U.S., Florida officials said Thursday. Published September 1, 2016
Florida finds Zika in trapped mosquitoes; 1st in U.S. mainland
Mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been caught in Miami Beach, Florida officials said Thursday. The discovery, while expected, is a first for the continental U.S. Published September 1, 2016
Obama appoints seven to Puerto Rico oversight board
President Obama on Wednesday named seven people to a board set up by Congress to audit Puerto Rico's finances and rescue the U.S. territory from $72 billion in bond debt it cannot pay. Published August 31, 2016
Sen. Rob Portman targets synthetic opioids in U.S. mail
Sen. Rob Portman on Wednesday said he will push legislation to crack down on synthetic opioids that are streaming into the U.S. through the postal system, as Ohio and surrounding states grapple with an unprecedented number of overdoses. Published August 31, 2016
Mylan Pharmaceuticals, maker of EpiPen, fails to mollify Congress
The maker of EpiPen tried to cool Congress' ire over the skyrocketing cost of its life-saving injector by offering discounts and an in-house generic version, but lawmakers only appear to be turning up the heat. Published August 30, 2016
Aetna, UnitedHealth pulling out of Obamacare, leaving customers with fewer options
Nearly a third of the country could have just a single company offering plans on their Obamacare exchange next year, according to an analysis this week that says the exodus of big players such as UnitedHealth and Aetna is denting the health law. Published August 29, 2016
EpiPen price hikes spark outrage; lawmakers threaten increased regulation of drug companies
The cost of the EpiPen, a potentially lifesaving quick treatment for allergic reactions, has been rising steadily for nearly a decade -- but it turned into a political scandal only this month, as Washington rushed to blast the manufacturer as a heartless price-gouger. Published August 25, 2016
EpiPen maker moves to lower cost of injector
The maker of the EpiPen said Thursday it will reduce the price of its life-saving injector for some customers, after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and lawmakers from both parties said people with severe allergies were being socked by exponential price hikes with no clear explanation. Published August 25, 2016
Obamacare premiums expected to spike; taxpayer subsidies to help consumers foot bill
Obamacare's premiums will likely spike over the next year as health insurance companies grow more pessimistic about the law, the administration acknowledged Wednesday, but officials insisted consumers won't be stuck with the entire bill. Published August 24, 2016
Clinton proposes emergency fund for unexpected outbreaks
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton jumped Wednesday into the funding debate over Zika virus by proposing a new public health fund to rapidly respond to outbreaks and other emergencies. Published August 24, 2016
