Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
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
Marco Rubio, GOP presidential candidate, says he’s fed up with responding to Donald Trump’s remarks
Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday that he's fed up with responding to Donald Trump's comments in the GOP presidential nomination race. Published August 9, 2015
Donald Trump knocks critics of his ‘blood’ remarks about Fox News’ Megyn Kelly
Donald Trump lashed out Sunday at his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination who blasted him for insinuating that Fox News' Megyn Kelly had been menstruating during a tense exchange at Thursday night's GOP debate in Cleveland. Published August 9, 2015
D.C. Circuit won’t rehear ‘origination clause’ suit against Obamacare
A federal appeals court on Friday said it will not reconsider a 2014 ruling that held Obamacare didn't violate the Constitution's "origination clause" requiring the House to kickstart revenue-raising bills, despite the law's tax on people who do not obtain health insurance. Published August 7, 2015
Donald Trump: ‘I don’t think I could have done any better’
Businessman Donald Trump offered few regrets Friday about his GOP debate performance the prior night, saying he handled the spotlight with poise and got the crowd into it despite a "setup" against him on stage. Published August 7, 2015
Mitch McConnell eyes breakthroughs in thorny fall agenda
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell kicked off an August recess Thursday by chiding President Obama for his partisan rhetoric around the nuclear deal with Iran, saying the issue will require sober debate when lawmakers return after Labor Day. Published August 6, 2015
Banned Medicaid providers defy Obamacare rule, operate in other states: IG
Health providers banned from state Medicaid programs for fraud or other serious reasons are still doing business in other states despite Obamacare's prohibition on the practice, according to a government audit that said $7 million in payments would have been withheld if the states had a better way to communicate. Published August 5, 2015
Senate GOP bill protects foes of Obama’s abortion, birth control rules
Senate Republicans filed a bill Tuesday that would bar the government from forcing employers to insure drugs and services that violate their moral beliefs, a move that taps into renewed debate over religious liberty, abortion and the persistent legal fight over Obamacare's birth-control mandate. Published August 4, 2015
Obamacare enrollees less satisfied than people with other types of coverage: survey
Less than a third of Obamacare exchange customers are satisfied with their plans, according to a survey released Monday that finds enrollees in the signature heath overhaul are less happy than those covered through government programs or their jobs. Published August 3, 2015
Senate passes multiyear highway bill, must negotiate with House this fall
The Senate passed a long-sought highway deal Thursday that authorizes projects for six years while paying for only half of it with a patchwork of funding streams, setting up a bid this fall to meld the plan with a roads bill from the House that would rely on tax reform instead. Published July 30, 2015
Obamacare ‘co-ops’ flailing, falling behind on loans: audit
Obamacare's co-ops, designed to give more choices for insurance, lost hundreds of millions of dollars in their first year and didn't attract anywhere near as many customers as they had hoped, meaning they may go insolvent and default on taxpayer-funded loans, according to a government audit released Thursday. Published July 30, 2015
White House allies use Medicaid anniversary to push expansion
A key White House ally on Obamacare used the 50th anniversary Thursday of Medicaid, the government health program that covers 71 million poor Americans, to urge red states to expand the program to millions more. Published July 30, 2015