Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Rick Scott, Florida governor, pleads with Capitol Hill GOP to back him in Medicaid fight
Florida Gov. Rick Scott personally pleaded with Capitol Hill Republicans Tuesday to hold hearings, write letters or can do whatever they can to back his fight to renew federal funding that pays hospitals for treating the poor and illegal immigrants, even as the administration pushes him -- kicking and screaming -- to expand Medicaid instead. Published May 12, 2015
Dairies reach settlement in landmark case that defines manure as solid waste
A quartet of Washington State dairies settled out of court Monday after a federal judge -- for the first time ever -- said farms may be held liable for how they use manure fertilizer under a decades-old law on solid waste. Published May 11, 2015
HHS rewrites Obamacare rules: Orders free birth control for all
The Obama administration on Monday ordered all insurers to provide IUDs, the contraceptive patch and other birth control free of out-of-pocket charge to all women, thereby rewriting the rules after reports that some insurance carriers were refusing to cover all types of contraceptives. Published May 11, 2015
Eric T. Schneiderman floats bill to make Obamacare birth-control mandates N.Y. law
New York's top lawman proposed legislation Monday to write Obamacare's birth-control requirements into state law, extending no-cost services even to men as watchdogs accused insurers of violating the spirit -- if not the letter -- of the health overhaul by forcing women to pay out of pocket for their preferred contraceptives. Published May 11, 2015
Most want Supreme Court to uphold Obamacare subsidies: poll
More than half of Americans would like the Supreme Court to uphold Obamacare's subsidies in all 50 states, according to a poll released Monday that also finds only one in 10 people are quite confident the justices will decide a pivotal health case this June objectively. Published May 11, 2015
5 percent of Medicaid enrollees accounted for half of program’s spending: Gov’t study
A small-but-expensive fraction of Medicaid recipients accounted for nearly half of all spending for the program each year from 2009 to 2011, according to a new government report that studied people who do not also receive Medicare. Published May 8, 2015
IRS unable to make sure people comply with Obamacare penalty: Treasury IG
The IRS cannot be sure that Americans who lacked health insurance last year have complied with Obamacare's "individual mandate" penalty this tax season, according to an inspector general report Friday that pointed to a decision to delay proof-of-coverage forms from insurers and employers until 2016. Published May 8, 2015
Liberia Ebola outbreak to be declared over after yearlong struggle, 4,700 deaths
The Ebola epidemic that ravaged West Africa for more than a year could be declared over in Liberia on Saturday, marking a major milestone for the hard-hit nation after a nightmarish period of death and fear that awakened the globe to a long-ignored virus. Published May 7, 2015
Rick Scott asks courts to quickly intervene in Obamacare spat with HHS
Florida Gov. Rick Scott asked a federal court Thursday to thwart the Obama administration from using "unconstitutional coercion" to, in his view, force him to expand Medicaid under Obamacare by refusing to renew a separate program that helps hospitals care for the poor and uninsured. Published May 7, 2015
Rick Scott pleads with Obama admin for health funding
Florida Gov. Rick Scott pleaded face-to-face with the Obama administration Wednesday to preserve funding for an expiring health program, even though the federal government has told him to expand Medicaid instead -- a standoff that has produced a lawsuit, delayed state budget talks and roiled Obamacare politics at large. Published May 6, 2015
Elton John to Congress: Stigma is greatest threat to stopping AIDS for good
Music legend and advocate Elton John said the stigma of persons infected by HIV/AIDS, particularly in the LGBT community, is the greatest threat to fighting -- and one day stopping -- the disease. Published May 6, 2015
Lindsey Graham: Global health fund ‘smartest use of federal dollars’ in budget
Sen. Lindsey Graham offered an emphatic endorsement Wednesday of a global-assistance fund that makes up less than 1 percent of the federal budget and combats poverty and diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, saying it's the best use of federal dollars that exists. Published May 6, 2015
Congress passes first budget in 6 years
Congress' unified budget cleared a procedural hurdle in the Senate Tuesday, setting the stage for final passage of the GOP-authored blueprint later in the day. Published May 5, 2015
ER visits up under Obamacare, despite promises: Doctors’ poll
Doctors say emergency room visits have increased since the advent of Obamacare, undercutting one of the key selling points of President Obama's health care law, which was supposed to ensure a healthier population by pushing consumers to rely on their primary physicians rather than emergency trips to the hospital. Published May 4, 2015
Tom Wolf, Pa. governor, says he’ll set up Obamacare exchange if Supreme Court strikes subsidies
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf told the Obama administration Friday his state would move to establish its own Obamacare marketplace if the Supreme Court invalidates vital subsidies in states that rely on the federal insurance exchange. Published May 1, 2015
Bobby Jindal: GOP needs Obamacare replacement ‘today’
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday that congressional Republicans need to present a replacement to Obamacare immediately, arguing it isn't enough to fight for repeal or try to scrap parts of President Obama's overhaul. Published May 1, 2015
Congress presents first unified budget since 2009
Republican negotiators announced they'd reached a deal Wednesday on a unified federal budget, marking the first time in six years that the annual spending process will be governed by a full blueprint, and setting the stage for cuts in health and welfare spending plus a boost in defense. Published April 29, 2015
Sen. Bob Corker signs GOP budget, green-lighting resolution for floor votes
Republican Sen. Bob Corker said Wednesday he had signed the GOP's budget resolution after spending the early part of the week as his party's lone holdout, clearing the way for each chamber to approve the blueprint. Published April 29, 2015
Bob Corker stalling GOP budget deal
GOP negotiators struggled Tuesday to complete their budget as a lone Republican held out, protesting what he called "gimmicks" his colleagues were using. Published April 28, 2015
Kevin McCarthy: Obama’s demands would ruin attempt to lift sequester
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that Republicans will not try to lift "sequester" limits during the annual spending process because the caps are written into law and they view President Obama as an uncooperative negotiator. Published April 28, 2015
