Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
HHS chief to address Zika in Puerto Rico
President Obama's top health official will visit Puerto Rico this week to get a firsthand look at how the island is combating the Zika virus, a trip that coincides with Senate efforts to partially fund President Obama $1.9 billion request for emergency funding to stave off the mosquito-borne illness. Published April 25, 2016
Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing proposes ways to cut rising drug costs
A diverse coalition of seniors, health plans and private companies proposed a series of steps Monday to tamp down the cost of prescription drugs, from speeding the approval of generics to publicly reporting notable price hikes. Published April 25, 2016
Zika spending fight: Republicans seek budget offsets; Democrats push emergency deficit funds
Conservatives are spoiling for an election-year spending fight, saying if President Obama wants any of the nearly $2 billion he has requested to fight Zika, the budget will have to be cut elsewhere. Published April 24, 2016
Bernie Sanders on key losses: Poor people don’t vote
Bernard Sanders said Sunday that his platform on income inequality hasn't translated into victories in key states because poor people don't vote. Published April 24, 2016
Bernie Sanders fighting for Democratic nod ‘until the last vote is cast’
Bernard Sanders said Sunday he is ready to fight for the Democratic presidential nomination all the way to the California primary in June. Published April 24, 2016
Reince Priebus, RNC chairman: Campaign to enlist new GOP nominee is ‘dumb’
Republicans who think they can draft an eleventh-hour alternative to front-runner Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz are pushing a dumb idea that is "never going to work," the party's top official said Sunday, throwing cold water on voices that say it is not to late to pick a candidate with broader appeal. Published April 24, 2016
DNC chair: GOP’s infighting far eclipses Sanders-Clinton feud
Infighting on the Democratic side of the 2016 presidential race is mild compared to the GOP side, a top party official said Sunday. Published April 24, 2016
Trump convention manager: You see the real Donald at his rallies
Donald Trump will strike a presidential tone when he is giving policy speeches in staid settings, his convention manager said. Published April 24, 2016
Heritage Action: Make sure Zika virus deal is paid for
An influential conservative group told Congress on Friday to pay for an emerging deal to combat the Zika virus by swiping dollars from other programs or using the annual budget process to prioritize the fight over other spending. Published April 22, 2016
Senate works to partially fund Obama’s Zika request
The Senate is nearing a roughly $1 billion deal that would fund part of President Obama's request to fight the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that causes serious birth defects and is threatening the U.S. mainland. Published April 21, 2016
Contraception-only plans are unworkable, Justice Dept. tells Supreme Court
State laws and industry regulations would bar insurers from offering contraceptive-only policies to women who work for religious nonprofits that refuse to insure birth control, the Obama administration told the Supreme Court Wednesday. Published April 20, 2016
House Democrat: GOP has more detail on Zika request than we had on Iraq War
House Democrats on Wednesday accused Republican leaders of intentionally dragging out the debate over President Obama's $1.9 billion request to fight the Zika virus, saying the White House has already detailed everything there is to know about its plea for emergency funding. Published April 20, 2016
Steny Hoyer to conservatives: Stop blocking Ex-Im Bank nominee
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer pleaded with a key Senate Republican Tuesday to reconsider his "frustrating" decision to block a nominee to the Export-Import Bank, arguing his blockade is holding back an agency that enjoys majority support from Congress. Published April 19, 2016
UnitedHealth CEO: We’ll serve only a ‘handful’ of Obamacare exchanges in 2017
One of the nation's largest insurers said Tuesday that it will drastically cut its involvement in Obamacare's exchanges next year, while analysts expect other insurers to hike their rates to cover mounting losses from taking part in the health care law. Published April 19, 2016
Senate Dems to Mitch McConnell: Take up $2B Zika request now
Senate Democrats pleaded with Republican leaders Monday to take up President Obama's $1.9 billion request to combat the Zika virus "as soon as possible," saying the mosquito-borne illness poses a real threat to pregnant women. Published April 18, 2016
Obamacare premiums to spike for some if UnitedHealth withdraws, reducing competition: study
The nation's largest insurer could punch a hole through the middle of Obamacare if it pulls out of the health care exchanges, leaving more than 1 million Americans in an unhealthy marketplace with only a single option for insurance. Published April 18, 2016
Paul Ryan caught in middle of budget war over Flint, Puerto Rico, Zika crises
From the Zika virus to the contaminated water crisis in Flint to trying to rescue Puerto Rico from its debt crisis, Congress is once again faced with a series of thorny questions over just how much taxpayers will be asked to shell out. Published April 17, 2016
House GOP agrees: Puerto Rico bill isn’t a ‘bailout’
Congress' bill to rescue Puerto Rico from its debt crisis is not a bailout, House Republicans agreed Friday, but conservatives are still coming to grips with provisions that appear to rewrite the rules from under the island's creditors. Published April 15, 2016
Paul Ryan faces conservative rebellion over Puerto Rico ‘bailout,’ needs Democrats’ help
Congress' bid to rescue Puerto Rico from its debt crisis is turning into yet another test for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, and the early signs are not good, with one conservative lawmaker accusing leaders of gagging rank-and-file Republicans to keep them from scuttling the relief package. Published April 13, 2016
Zika causes birth defects: CDC
The Zika virus definitely causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and suffer other brain defects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday, hoping to erase any doubt about the mosquito-borne illness' threat to pregnant women and their newborns. Published April 13, 2016