Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Mergers among top insurers could harm patients, top doctors’ group says
Cutting the number of major U.S. health insurers from five to three through a pair of blockbuster mergers would erode competition in a way that is "not in the best interests of patients or physicians," a top doctors' group said Tuesday. Published September 8, 2015
Ebola vaccine studies progress as marketing quells suspicions of modern medicine
Ebola had just killed thousands of people in Liberia, and the U.S.-backed pitch to sign locals up for a vaccine trial must have seemed like a tough sell: Take part of the very virus that had devastated the region, combine it with a separate, harmless virus, and inject it into volunteers with the hope they develop Ebola antibodies. Published September 7, 2015
Manufacturers to push to revive Ex-Im charter
U.S. manufacturers say they're starting to feel the pain from Congress' decision to let the federal Export-Import Bank's charter lapse in June, and are planning to mount a push to revive the obscure, controversial agency when lawmakers return next week. Published September 7, 2015
HHS proposal bans health care discrimination against transgender persons
The administration said Thursday it wants to ban discrimination against transgender people who use the health care system. Published September 3, 2015
Education reform bill nears completion
House and Senate lawmakers hoping to avert a government shutdown, pass a long-term highway bill and vote on Iran's nuclear ambitions this fall are squeezing in another item that has bedeviled Congress for years -- settling on a bipartisan rewrite of the No Child Left Behind education law that can win over the White House. Published September 2, 2015
Planned Parenthood chapters among those receiving new Obamacare grants
The Obama administration announced more than $1 million in grants Wednesday to Planned Parenthood, banking on the women's health care provider to help sell Obamacare to patients and defying congressional Republicans battling to end all public funding for the organization. Published September 2, 2015
White House praises Alaska Gov. Bill Walker for going it alone on Medicaid expansion
The White House praised Alaska Gov. Bill Walker for opting to expand Medicaid Tuesday under President Obama's health care law, balancing out their praise with thinly veiled criticism for about 20 states that have refused to expand their own programs, leaving millions "needlessly uninsured." Published September 1, 2015
Alaska Medicaid expansion can move forward, judge says
The Alaska Supreme Court rejected a request by state lawmakers' Monday to thwart Gov. Bill Walker's unilateral plan to extend Medicaid benefits to tens of thousands of previously ineligible state residents. Published August 31, 2015
Federal judge shields March for Life from Obamacare birth-control rules
A federal judge Monday blocked the Obama administration from enforcing its birth-control mandate on March for Life, a secular nonprofit, saying the anti-abortion group met the same criteria for an exemption as houses of worship that do not have to comply with the Obamacare rule. Published August 31, 2015
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
