Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Congress brings back regular order with bicameral, bipartisan conferences
Congressional negotiators met Wednesday to hash out a long-term transportation bill and rewrite the No Child Left Behind education law, pledging to pin down two bipartisan goals as Capitol Hill seeks a return to the legislative ideal known as regular order. Published November 18, 2015
More than 1M have selected plans on Obamacare website
More than 1 million people selected health coverage on the federal Obamacare website through the second week of open enrollment, the administration said Wednesday in a snapshot that shows the number of plan selections nearly doubling since the first week's tally. Published November 18, 2015
House, Senate negotiators set to work on highway bill
House and Senate negotiators sat down Wednesday and pledged to hammer out their first multi-year highway bill in a decade, saying stopgap measures are failing motorists and businesses who contend with America's crumbling roads and infrastructure. Published November 18, 2015
Republican efforts to overturn Obamacare stalls in Senate
The GOP's long-sought bid to dismantle Obamacare has hit another snag in the Senate, flustering House Republicans who thought they'd figured out a way to get a bill to President Obama's desk without having to face a Democratic filibuster. Published November 17, 2015
Virginia slated to spend $1 billion more on Medicaid
Virginia faces a $1 billion increase in Medicaid spending through fiscal 2018, according to a two-year forecast Tuesday that state Republicans swiftly used as a cudgel against Gov. Terry McAuliffe's bid to expand the program under Obamacare. Published November 17, 2015
Capitol Police ask lawmakers to be on high alert after Paris attacks
The Capitol Police asked congressional offices Monday to "remain vigilant" in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris that killed 129 people, saying the complex will "always be an appealing target" although there is no known threat to the building. Published November 16, 2015
Obamacare co-op flops have many scrambling for health insurance
When Amy Grech, a freelance Web consultant and horror story author in New York, was looking for health insurance, a broker pushed her toward Health Republic, the state's co-op under Obamacare. It had the doctors she needed, and the price seemed right. Published November 15, 2015
500K picked plans in Obamacare’s first week
More than a half-million people selected a health plan through the federal Obamacare website during the first week of open enrollment, according to a government update Thursday that said two-thirds of the customers were renewing coverage they already had. Published November 12, 2015
HealthCare.gov alert gives rare nod to Obamacare penalty
The administration is warning HealthCare.gov customers to make sure they log onto the Obamacare website and get covered so they don't face a stiff penalty for lacking health insurance next year. Published November 12, 2015
Pro-life group takes Planned Parenthood fight to Times Square
As Senate Republicans face a murky path toward defunding Planned Parenthood, a pro-life group is taking the fight to the bright lights of Manhattan, renting out ad space in Times Square to go after the women's health group. Published November 12, 2015
Senate moves to negotiate final roads bill
The Senate voted Tuesday to sit down with House negotiators and polish off Congress' first long-term highway bill in a decade. Published November 10, 2015
N.Y. takes steps to rescue Obamacare co-op customers
Hoping to stem the fallout from the collapse of Obamacare's largest co-op plan, New York State regulators said the state's Obamacare exchange will automatically enroll affected customers into new coverage on Dec. 1 and let customers actively select a new plan through Nov. 30 -- a 15-day extension -- so they don't see a gap in coverage this year. Published November 9, 2015
Supreme Court to hear challenges to Obamacare birth control mandate
The Supreme Court said Friday it will hear lawsuits from religious nonprofits who say the government didn't go far enough when it offered to carve them out of President Obama's birth-control rules on employers. Published November 6, 2015
Joe Pitts to retire; Pennsylvania Republican has served in House since 1997
Republican Congressman Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania announced Friday he will not seek re-election in 2016, departing Capitol Hill after serving a swath of the Philadelphia suburbs and much of Amish country since 1997. Published November 6, 2015
White House challenges 20 cities to boost Obamacare signups
Hoping to boost Obamacare signups in a tough third year, the White House on Friday challenged 20 cities across the U.S. to root out their uninsured residents and drive them into Web-based exchanges set up under the law. Published November 6, 2015
GOP digs into Obamacare’s co-op headache
Obamacare's co-op plans were "learning how to sail in a hurricane" when they set out to compete with larger, more-established insurers on Web exchanges set up to offer subsidized coverage in January 2014, a state regulator told Congress on Thursday. Published November 5, 2015
House approves $325 billion roads bill
The House advanced a $325 billion highway bill Thursday that funds infrastructure projects for three years -- setting the stage for Congress's first long-term roads deal in a decade -- though the White House says America's crumbling infrastructure will need even more money. Published November 5, 2015
Obama kicks off media blitz for health law
President Obama kicked off a media campaign in support of his signature health law Wednesday by cheering on "navigator" groups tasked with rooting out the millions of Americans who failed to sign up during the first two rounds. Published November 4, 2015
More than half of Obamacare co-ops go belly up
More than half of Obamacare's nonprofit co-op plans have failed, with Michigan becoming the latest to announce it will not offer plans for next year, prompting Republicans to label the program a disastrous waste of taxpayer money. Published November 3, 2015
Paul Ryan says new, open process will start with highway bill
Newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan said a long-term highway bill is a "good place to start" on his pledge to open up the legislative process and allow members to be heard. Published November 3, 2015
