Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Paul Ryan: GOP must have Obamacare replacement by late June
House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan says Republicans must have a plan to replace Obamacare by late June, a deadline that coincides with a Supreme Court decision that could blow a huge hole in the controversial law. Published March 26, 2015
House passes Medicare payment overhaul in rare spark of bipartisanship
The normally fractious House made governing look effortless Thursday, passing a long-sought deal to permanently cancel Medicare budget cuts that eat into doctors' pay, erasing a perennial political headache while praying that a set of replacement reforms will help pay for some of the $200 billion in new spending. Published March 26, 2015
Democrats may not sink House bill on doctors’ pay
Senate Democrats said Wednesday there is daylight between a pro-life provision they opposed in an anti-trafficking bill and abortion language tucked into a House deal to overhaul Medicare, signaling their objections may not torpedo long-sought reforms to how the health program pays doctors. Published March 25, 2015
GOP House bill would balance budget, cut Obamacare
House Republicans came together Wednesday to pass a budget that balances within a decade, cutting spending by over $5 trillion, repealing Obamacare and turning Medicare into a voucherlike system along the way. Published March 25, 2015
Medicare overhaul will cost $200B+, with $140B added to deficit: CBO
A House bill to overhaul Medicare payments would cost $214 billion over the next decade, with $141 billion added to the deficit and the rest covered by wealthier Medicare recipients and changes to reimbursements for hospitals and other providers, nonpartisan budget scorers said Wednesday. Published March 25, 2015
Senate Dems see distinctions in latest abortion language, keeping Medicare deal alive
Senate Democrats said Wednesday there is daylight between a pro-life provision they opposed in an anti-trafficking bill and abortion language tucked into a House deal to overhaul Medicare, signaling their objections may not torpedo long-sought reforms to how the health program pays doctors. Published March 25, 2015
Obama to mark health law’s anniversary with new initiative on patient care
President Obama on Wednesday will mark his signature health law's fifth-anniversary week by launching a doctor-patient network tasked with finding ways to put the quality — and not quantity — of care first, all while reducing costs. Published March 25, 2015
Abortion fight threatens Medicare deal as Democrats balk at pro-life language
This was supposed to be a Congress focused on jobs and the middle class, but Democrats have quickly turned it into a fight over abortion, the thorniest of social issues, which has already derailed a bipartisan anti-human trafficking bill and now threatens to undermine a long-sought deal on fixing Medicare. Published March 24, 2015
Pro-choice House leaders: Don’t let abortion-funding ban scuttle Medicare deal
Democratic leaders of the House's pro-choice caucus said Tuesday they plan to support a bipartisan deal to overhaul Medicare payments, even though it includes a familiar ban on using federal funds for abortion. Published March 24, 2015
Obamacare repeal debate stalls budget talks in Congress
Partisan rhetoric spotlighted the ill will that still surrounds Obamacare. It also kicked off a pivotal week for the Republican majority Congress, which must pass its budget plans before it can use an arcane budget procedure to bypass a Democratic filibuster in the Senate and get a repeal bill on President Obama's desk. Published March 23, 2015
White House scoffs at Ted Cruz’s Obamacare repeal vow
Marking Obamacare's fifth anniversary Monday, the White House brushed off 2016 GOP campaign vows to scrap the law entirely, saying Republicans don't have a track record that supports their ambitions. Published March 23, 2015
Obamacare saved hospitals $7 billion: HHS
Obamacare cut hospitals' costs for treating uninsured patients by more than $7 billion last year, the administration said Monday in marking the fifth anniversary of the overhaul's passage. Published March 23, 2015
Obama: Republicans must embrace ‘reality’ of Obamacare success
Five years after signing his signature domestic achievement into law, President Obama said Sunday that Republicans must stop efforts to repeal Obamacare and embrace the "reality" that the law is working. Published March 22, 2015
HealthCare.gov still fixing tax-form blunder
The administration said Friday it still had to send corrected tax forms to 80,000 of the 820,000 HealthCare.gov customers who received erroneous information from the federal Obamacare exchange earlier this year. Published March 20, 2015
Republican budget proposals a tough sell within increasingly polarized GOP
They've written their budgets, but now Republican leaders must try to round up the votes to pass them amid an ever-more polarized GOP riven with disputes over defense spending and the pace of cutting entitlements. Published March 19, 2015
John Boehner: House GOP split on defense spending in budget proposal
Speaker John A. Boehner said Thursday his chamber likely will debate additional defense spending when his party's budget resolution heads to the floor next week. Published March 19, 2015
House leaders say they’re close to fixing hated Medicare funding formula
Congressional leaders released a bipartisan bill Thursday to scrap an outdated Medicare payment formula and replace it with a system that's more predictable for doctors and rewards the quality — not quantity — of care they provide. Published March 19, 2015
Obamacare still disliked more than liked, but gap narrowing: poll
More Americans disapprove of Obamacare than those who favor it, 43 percent to 41 percent, although the gap between those camps has narrowed to its closet margin in over two years, according to a March tracking poll released Thursday. Published March 19, 2015
Senate GOP unveils budget with Obamacare repeal, dismisses president’s ‘unserious’ plan
Senate Republicans released a budget Wednesday that achieves balance in 10 years but does not mimic the House GOP's defense-spending ploys or sweeping changes to Medicare, as tough contests loom for dozens of the party's senators in 2016. Published March 18, 2015
Chris Van Hollen on GOP budget: ‘Fakery is hard to sell’
The House Democrats' top budget man was still making his way through the GOP's budget when he faced reporters Tuesday, but it's safe to say he's not impressed. Published March 17, 2015
