Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
House GOP forges ahead with budget amid party revolt
The House Budget Committee approved a 10-year spending plan Wednesday that might still be doomed, as Republican leaders who raved about its policy goals still face objections from rank-and-file conservatives who oppose spending levels the parties agreed to last fall. Published March 16, 2016
Chris Van Hollen on GOP budget: We’re not running out the door
Rep. Chris Van Hollen blasted a House GOP-authored budget Wednesday and then tried to take the high road, saying Democrats will at least go through the motions of marking up a fiscal blueprint after Republicans ignored President Obama's proposal. Published March 16, 2016
Ben Sasse: Obamacare has fewer insurer options in 2016
Obamacare customers in nearly two thirds of U.S. counties had three or fewer insurers to choose from in 2016, a GOP senator said Monday in an office report that argues President Obama oversold his signature law as a catalyst for competition. Published March 14, 2016
Senate Democrats unveil legislation to rescue Puerto Rico from debt
Senate Democrats said Monday they've crafted a legislative package that offers Puerto Rico a "real path to solvency," as the U.S. territory struggles to tread water amid a sea of red ink. Published March 14, 2016
FDA gives preliminary approval to anti-Zika trial in Florida
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday tentatively approved a British company's request to release its genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys, a trial aimed at slashing the number of insects that carry Zika virus. Published March 11, 2016
HHS awards $94 million to combat opioid crisis
The Obama administration awarded $94 million in Obamacare money Friday to health centers on the front lines of the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic, one day after Democrats complained that a Senate-passed bill to combat the crisis lacked necessary funding. Published March 11, 2016
Obamacare failed co-ops haven’t repaid any of $1.2B in taxpayer loans: GOP
Obamacare's failed co-ops have not repaid a single dollar of the combined $1.2 billion they received in federal startup loans, Senate Republicans said Thursday in a report that argues taxpayers will never be made whole. Published March 10, 2016
Senate easily passes bill to fight opioid, heroin epidemic
The Senate easily passed legislation Wednesday to combat the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic that is killing dozens of Americans each day, despite Democratic complaints that Congress hasn't provided enough funding to tackle the problem. Published March 10, 2016
‘Motor-voter’ registration laws pitted against citizenship IDs in court case
A federal official overstepped his authority by allowing three states to demand proof of citizenship on the national "motor-voter" forms that help many Americans register to vote, the Obama administration and allied groups argued Wednesday in a case that pits one part of the federal government against another. Published March 9, 2016
Obama administration proposes new drug payment model
The Obama administration says it might overhaul how it pays doctors and hospitals for drugs they administer under Medicare Part B, arguing the reforms are needed to put patients before dollars and cents. Published March 8, 2016
McConnell backs Speaker Ryan’s outreach to GOP contenders
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he hasn't reached out to the leading GOP candidates for president, though he still plans to support whoever wins the topsy-turvy race. Published March 8, 2016
H&R Block: Customers paying twice as much to satisfy Obamacare penalty
Halfway through tax season, uninsured filers are paying more than twice as much as they did last year to satisfy Obamacare's penalty for lacking coverage, H&R Block said Tuesday, in an analysis that says other customers still cannot match their incomes to IRS subsidies they got on the law's exchanges. Published March 8, 2016
Top Obamacare official eyes stability on exchanges, a $40 billion market
The man in charge of implementing Obamacare rallied insurers to the cause Tuesday, saying there is a viable path forward for the law's insurance markets so long as health plans stay affordable and meet consumers' demands. Published March 8, 2016
Rob Portman’s heroin epidemic bill poised to pass Senate with bipartisan support
A Senate bill to address the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic advanced with bipartisan support Monday, clearing the way for final passage this week. Published March 7, 2016
Senate postpones action on 2017 budget amid conservative revolt in House
The Senate will postpone any action on the coming year's budget, a GOP chairman said Monday in the clearest sign yet that Republican leaders will struggle to forge a unified blueprint amid grumbling from conservatives and defense hawks over spending levels the parties agreed to in the fall. Published March 7, 2016
Employers sill offering health insurance to workers, pushing fewer into Obamacare exchanges
Businesses are dumping far fewer of their employees into Obamacare's exchanges than analysts initially had predicted, according to a new analysis released last week that suggests the massive health law has not been the economic spoilsport critics had feared. Published March 6, 2016
Tom Frieden. CDC chief, to visit Puerto Rico to address Zika virus crisis
The chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will head to Puerto Rico in coming days to get a firsthand look at the U.S. territory's response to the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease linked to serious birth defects. Published March 4, 2016
Obama: 20M gained coverage under health law
President Obama took a victory lap Thursday in Milwaukee to celebrate his health overhaul's gains there and announce that 20 million Americans have gained coverage under his signature law. Published March 3, 2016
Senate GOP thwarts bid to add $600 million for opioid crisis
The GOP shot down Democrats' bid to add $600 million in new money to legislation combatting the heroin and opioid epidemic, with lawmakers saying there's plenty of money already in the pipeline. Published March 2, 2016
D.C. appeals court grapples with Congress’ ‘Obamacare exemption’
A D.C. appeals court struggled Wednesday to see how a city resident was directly harmed by Congress' decision to label itself a small business so that lawmakers and staff could comply with Obamacare and still keep employer subsidies that make their coverage affordable. Published March 2, 2016
