Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Alaska judge refuses to halt Gov. Bill Walker’s unilateral Medicaid expansion plans
A state judge refused Friday to halt Alaska Gov. Bill Walker's unilateral bid to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, turning back GOP lawmakers who asked him to shelve the plan until the courts can fully vet their lawsuit against the governor. Published August 28, 2015
Vaccination rates still high after Disneyland outbreak sparked debate: CDC
Months after a Disneyland measles outbreak cast a harsh light on the "anti-vaxx" movement, the Obama administration said Thursday that childhood vaccination rates remain high across the country and that less than 2 percent of kindergarteners were exempt from the shot requirements for the 2014-2015 school year. Published August 27, 2015
Obama agenda and legacy in the hands of federal judges
A federal judge in Texas has put President Obama's deportation amnesty on hold, while another judge in the District of Columbia is poised to rule any day now on whether the House can sue to stop parts of the administration's Obamacare spending. Published August 26, 2015
Obamacare ‘Cadillac tax’ to hit 1 in 4 employers that offer health care benefits
Obamacare's "Cadillac tax" will hit one in four employers that offer health care benefits, a leading industry analyst says in a report being released Tuesday, socking companies with a massive levy that Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill say is unfair to those who have negotiated high-quality plans as part of their jobs. Published August 25, 2015
Court says Little Sisters can duck birth-control mandate until Supreme Court weighs in
A federal appeals court that refused to exempt a group of nuns from Obamacare's birth-control rules said Friday the sisters can duck the mandate and its hefty fines until the Supreme Court decides whether to take up their appeal. Published August 21, 2015
Bobby Jindal sets up movie screen for Planned Parenthood supporters; wants them to see sting videos
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says many of the people protesting his actions to rein in Planned Parenthood haven't actually seen the undercover videos that kicked off a firestorm of GOP fury against the organization. Published August 20, 2015
Scott Walker campaign targets Hillary Clinton over health care
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took aim Thursday at potential 2016 presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton with a web video that paints the Democratic front-runner as a pioneer of Obamacare's flawed promises. Published August 20, 2015
Kaiser Foundation: Three quarters think drug prices are too high, action needed
Nearly three quarters of Americans think prescription drug costs are unreasonable, according a poll released Thursday that finds Americans feel they're paying more than consumers in Canada, Mexico and Western Europe for the same drugs. Published August 20, 2015
Alaska GOP lays groundwork for court battle over Gov. Bill Walker’s Medicaid plans
Lawmakers in Alaska want a judge to block Gov. Bill Walker's unilateral plans to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. Published August 19, 2015
WWI commission inches closer to final memorial design in D.C.
Five design concepts advanced Wednesday to the next stage of a competition to turn a downtown D.C. park into a national memorial to World War I. Published August 19, 2015
Scott Walker lays out plan to repeal, replace Obamacare
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker touted his "put up or shut up" style and called out members of his own party Tuesday in unveiling his own plan to repeal and replace Obamacare with a system of refundable tax credits, an overhaul of Medicaid and reforms to long-term care. Published August 18, 2015
Jeffrey Cutler, a Pa. man, loses court bid to keep the Obamacare plan he liked
A federal appeals court Friday ruled against a Pennsylvania man who lost his health plan because of Obamacare and complained that religious exemptions from the law left secular objectors in the cold. Published August 14, 2015
HHS: Nearly 1 million got covered between Obamacare’s enrollment periods
Nearly a million people have signed up for Obamacare since Feb. 23 because they lost other forms of coverage or had a significant life change, the Obama administration said Thursday in a snapshot of people who used the federal HealthCare.gov website between the law's formal enrollment periods. Published August 13, 2015
IRS may never recoup Obamacare tax credit overpayments totaling nearly $350 million
A quirk in the law means the IRS will never be able to recoup nearly $350 million in overpayments on Obamacare tax credits last year, and one top senator says he is worried that fraudsters will exploit the loophole to wring more cash out of the government. Published August 11, 2015
Hillary Clinton cracks down on for-profit colleges after cashing in
When Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 2016 presidential candidate, unveiled her college affordability plan on Monday, she sounded every bit the critic of for-profit universities. But Mrs. Clinton, the spouse, benefited to the tune of millions of dollars from that same industry in a business relationship her husband enjoyed as recently as this spring. Published August 10, 2015
States that embraced Obamacare see progress in cutting uninsured rates: Gallup poll
States that embraced Obamacare -- particularly its expansion of Medicaid -- saw the sharpest drops in their uninsured rates between 2013 and today, according to a Gallup survey that also says no state reported a significant increase in its share of uncovered residents since the law took root. Published August 10, 2015
Donald Trump stands by comments about Fox News’ host Megyn Kelly
Real estate magnate Donald Trump refused to back down Sunday from comments about a Fox News host that were widely panned as sexist, as his roller-coaster campaign careered to uncomfortable heights amid a Republican presidential field clamoring for order and credibility. Published August 9, 2015
Claire McCaskill: Chuck Schumer won’t sway other Democrats on Iran nuclear deal
Sen. Claire McCaskill insisted Sunday that Sen. Chuck Schumer's notable decision to oppose the nuclear deal with Iran hasn't placed pressure on fellow Democrats to follow suit. Published August 9, 2015
Bernard Sanders, Democratic presidential candidate: Some attacks on Hillary Clinton are ‘sexist’
Sen. Bernard Sanders says the way Hillary Rodham Clinton has been treated by critics of her handling of the 2012 Benghazi attacks and her exclusive use of a private email server at the State Department has been "sexist" at times. Published August 9, 2015
Donald Trump shrugs off criticisms on health care, coziness with political players
Donald Trump says that if President Ronald Reagan could morph from a liberal Democrat to a conservative Republican icon, then it's OK if he himself once supported a single-payer health system. Published August 9, 2015
