Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
German hospital: U.N. medical worker infected with Ebola in Liberia has died
A United Nations health worker has died from Ebola in Germany, doctors at a hospital in Leipzig said Tuesday, as officials around the globe ramp up their efforts to fight and contain the deadly virus. Published October 14, 2014
California Obamacare exchange verifies legal status of vast majority at risk of losing coverage
California officials boasted Monday that they will have to kick off fewer than 11,000 people from Obamacare because the state-run health care exchange was able to verify lawful immigration or citizenship status for the vast majority of the nearly 150,000 people at risk of losing coverage. Published October 13, 2014
Rick Scott, Charlie Crist agree on Medicaid expansion, but not on how
Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist both want to expand Medicaid in Florida, but they seem to be miles apart on how to make it happen. Published October 13, 2014
Struggling health exchanges brace for Obamacare’s 2nd year
States that struggled to operate their health exchanges in Obamacare's first round say they're on sure footing with roughly five weeks to go before open enrollment starts again. Published October 12, 2014
Labor union set to give Sen. Mark Begich a helping hand
Democratic Sen. Mark Begich will get a helping hand from teachers' union leader Randi Weingarten on Saturday, a few days after a poll put the senator 6 points behind Republican challenger Dan Sullivan in Alaska's Senate race. Published October 10, 2014
HHS Secretary Burwell: HealthCare.gov will be more reliable this year
As Obamacare enters its second act, the Obama administration's top health official said the federal HealthCare.gov website will work much better than last year and that her team is doing "everything we can" to stabilize state-run health exchanges where qualified Americans can shop for plans. Published October 9, 2014
Ebola screening abroad paramount: HHS secretary Burwell
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said Thursday she is deeply involved — even if it's not always on camera — in the nation's response to the Ebola virus, exuding confidence that American know-how, travel screening and improvements in West Africa will beat back the deadly outbreak even if it gets worse before it gets better. Published October 9, 2014
U.S. bishops reject latest attempt to water down contraception mandate
America's Catholic bishops flatly rejected the Obama administration's latest attempt to accommodate religious objectors to an Obamacare rule that requires employers to cover birth control as part of their health plans. Published October 8, 2014
New TurboTax tool helps customers find exemptions from Obamacare’s ‘individual mandate’
TurboTax launched an online tool Wednesday that helps people figure out if they qualify for one of dozens of exemptions to the part of Obamacare that requires Americans to hold health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Published October 8, 2014
Despite boon to the uninsured, Obamacare still decried
Americans are more likely to say Obamacare is hurting them than helping them, even as the law appears to have cut the uninsured rate by nearly 4 percentage points, according to Gallup data released Wednesday. Published October 8, 2014
Wal-Mart will drop health coverage for some part-timers as of Jan. 1
Wal-Mart announced Tuesday it will no longer provide health insurance to some of its part-time workers as of Jan. 1, following in the footsteps of other big retailers who dropped coverage, citing rising costs and new options outside of the workplace. Published October 7, 2014
Second undercover video surfaces of Grimes backer disparaging coal
A group known for on-camera sting operations released another video Tuesday that takes aim at Alison Lundergan Grimes' stance on coal as she tries to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky. Published October 7, 2014
Activists take on Alison Lundergan Grimes’ coal stance with ‘tracking’ video
Activists targeted Senate challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes on Monday with an undercover video in which her own supporters veer way off message on coal, a digital-age doozy that complicates the Kentucky Democrat's bid against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and reveals a new level of campaign "tracking" that lets the cameraman join the action. Published October 6, 2014
Patient at Maryland hospital has malaria, not Ebola
A hospital just outside of Washington said late Friday the patient it admitted with Ebola-like symptoms has malaria, and not the deadly virus that has ravaged West Africa and a patient who tested positive in the Dallas area. Published October 4, 2014
Obama administration attempts to quell fears about Ebola
The Obama administration sought Friday to tamp down fears of an Ebola outbreak within the U.S., making the case that America's infrastructure and health care systems set it apart from the horrific scenes coming out of West Africa, even as a confirmed case in Dallas and recent scares in the nation's capital prompt fears of a domestic problem. Published October 3, 2014
Hazmat crews arrive at Dallas apartment for Ebola cleanup
Clean-up crews have arrived at the Dallas apartment where four family members are holed up because the Liberian national diagnosed with Ebola stayed there for days and sweated feverishly into bedsheets. Published October 3, 2014
Patient with Ebola-like symptoms treated at Howard University Hospital in D.C.
A patient who recently traveled to Nigeria is being treated at a Washington hospital with Ebola-like symptoms. Published October 3, 2014
Democrat Gary Peters widening lead in Michigan Senate race: poll
Democratic congressman Gary Peters is regaining his lead over Republican nominee Terri Lynn Land in the race to fill a Senate seat left by retiring Democrat Carl Levin. Published October 3, 2014
Cleanup crew turned away over permit issue at Dallas apartment where Ebola patient stayed: report
The apartment where the Texas Ebola patient stayed has still not been sanitized because the company hired to do it does not have the right permits to transport hazardous waste on state highways, CNN reported. Published October 3, 2014
Health experts: Lies, poor training and ibuprofen leave gaps in Ebola screening process
Health experts say more should be done to single out travelers who may be infected with Ebola, after Liberian authorities said the first U.S. patient with the virus lied to them about his exposure before boarding a series of planes to Texas. Published October 3, 2014