Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Uninsured rate continues to drop in Obamacare era: poll
The uninsured rate continued to drop in the age of Obamacare, according to a survey released Monday that showed a 1 percentage point dip from the final quarter of 2014 to the start of this year. Published April 13, 2015
Kevin McCarthy cheers GOP field for 2016, says Dems are ‘going backwards’
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy cheered the growing GOP field for the 2016 presidential nomination Monday, saying it cues up forward-looking debate while the Democrats rally around Hillary Rodham Clinton. Published April 13, 2015
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy says House will follow Senate on bill to review Iran deal
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday his chamber will take up a Senate bill that lets Congress take a second look at the emerging nuclear deal with Iran. Published April 13, 2015
Senate faces deadline on medical funding bill
Senators return to work Monday facing an immediate deadline for a bill to avert major pay cuts for doctors who treat Medicare patients, but grumbling among conservative fiscal hawks and some liberals could force the Senate to miss the cutoff. Published April 12, 2015
Republicans work against deadline to pass budget; Obamacare hopes hang in balance
Congressional Republicans are likely to miss an April 15 deadline the law sets for passing a unified budget, with lawmakers set to return from a two-week break on April 13, with plenty of differences still to hash out between the House and Senate over everything from the size of spending cuts to revamping Medicare. Published April 9, 2015
Health care coalition demands better data from Obamacare
Insurers, a tech company and advocacy groups banded together Thursday to demand that Obamacare provide better data to consumers on price and quality, saying it's easier to compare hotel rooms than it is to choose between health care plans. Published April 9, 2015
Conservatives push back against Medicare ‘doc fix’
Conservatives are pressing GOP congressional leaders to scrap or alter the Medicare doctor payments deal they struck with Democrats last month, insisting that Congress at least find a way to pay for all of the reforms so taxpayers don't get stuck with higher bills or debt later this decade. Published April 8, 2015
Obama: Health law deserves an ‘8’ out of 10
President Obama gives his signature health law an "8" on a scale from 1 to 10, saying there is still room to improve the 2010 overhaul that's been a political flashpoint since passage. Published April 8, 2015
Federal Obamacare exchanges better at retaining, recruiting enrollees in 2015: Study
Obamacare exchanges run by the federal government both retained a higher percentage of 2014 customers and added new ones at a better rate than states with their own portals, an analysis released Tuesday found. Published April 7, 2015
Religious colleges seek contraception mandate exception like for-profit companies
Corporations with religious objections have already been granted relief from Obamacare's contraceptive mandate, but religious colleges and charities are still fighting the administration in court, saying that, as of right now, they're getting even worse treatment. Published April 6, 2015
‘Open dumping’ court ruling could hold dairy farms liable for manure fertilizer
A lawsuit over millions of gallons of manure is raising a stink in the animal agriculture sector, now that a federal judge — for the first time — has ruled farms may be held liable for how they use manure fertilizer under decades-old law on solid waste. Published April 5, 2015
Colorado’s neighbors want to stop its marijuana trade
Colorado's decision to legalize marijuana is stirring the pot in Nebraska and Oklahoma, where top officials say they're dealing with spillover effects from their neighbor's bright-line breach of federal law. Published April 2, 2015
Justice wants John Boehner-Obama lawsuit tossed
The Obama administration is refusing to flinch in its claim that House Speaker John A. Boehner used novel and invalid legal theories to sue over how the president implemented his signature health law. Published April 1, 2015
HealthCare.gov says 36K-plus have used extra signup time to avoid Obamacare penalty
Roughly 36,000 customers have selected health plans on the federal Obamacare portal to avoid penalties from the IRS, the administration said Wednesday in an update on the health overhaul's intersection with tax season. Published April 1, 2015
Administration digs in over Obamacare delays, says John Boehner’s lawsuit is ‘abstract’ and invalid
The Obama administration is refusing to flinch in its belief that House Speaker John A. Boehner used novel and invalid legal theories to sue over how the president implemented his signature health law. Published April 1, 2015
John Boehner pressured by frosh House members: Repeal Obamacare med-device tax
A bipartisan group of House freshmen urged Speaker John A. Boehner Tuesday to fast-track a bill to repeal Obamacare's tax on medical device makers, arguing the levy is shackling a job-creating industry. Published March 31, 2015
Obama regrets not speaking up for Terri Schiavo
The Rev. Frank Pavone, a pro-life leader, was one of the few able to visit Terri Schiavo in the final days of her life 10 years ago as she lay in a hospital bed, fixed to a feeding tube, the subject of an intense national debate over euthanasia. Published March 30, 2015
Medicare payments to doctors expire April 1
Full payments for doctors who treat Medicare patients run out on April 1, but the Obama administration has a two-week grace period before it would actually have to begin cutting payments, giving Congress a short window next month to fix the problem before earning the ire of physicians nationwide. Published March 29, 2015
Maryland should repay nearly $30M due to Obamacare reporting error: HHS IG
A Maryland agency misspent nearly $30 million in federal funding when it set up and ran its flawed Obamacare exchange, the Health and Human Services Department's internal watchdog said Friday, although state officials balked at paying the money back. Published March 27, 2015
Doctors’ lobby blasts Senate for leaving town without vote on Medicare pay
Key members of the doctors' lobby are "extremely disappointed" the Senate did not take up a House-passed overhaul to Medicare's payment system before skipping town for spring break. Published March 27, 2015