Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
HHS: Nearly 8M could lose Obamacare subsidies after Supreme Court ruling
Nearly 8 million Americans could lose subsidies that help them afford Obamacare plans if the Supreme Court strikes down the administration's interpretation the 2010 law, according to data released Tuesday. Published March 10, 2015
Sylvia Mathews Burwell: Supreme Court ruling against Obamacare would harm millions
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Monday rebuked critics who want the Supreme Court to invalidate Obamacare's subsidies in much of the country, saying such a ruling would harm millions of Americans who "need, want and like" their health coverage. Published March 9, 2015
Supreme Court to lower court: Reconsider Obamacare birth control mandate
The Supreme Court told a lower federal court Monday to reconsider a ruling that forced Notre Dame University to comply with Obamacare's birth control mandate. Published March 9, 2015
Ben Sasse driving Republican Obamacare ‘fix’
Freshman Sen. Ben Sasse insists he's not a leading man in the GOP's script to replace Obamacare, but he's playing a key set-up role just three months into his tenure on Capitol Hill. Published March 8, 2015
Obamacare on life support as Supreme Court splits on law’s fate
Supreme Court justices divided sharply Wednesday as they heard a third challenge to Obamacare, grappling with the law's poorly drafted language and trying to decide how broadly Congress intended for the government to pay subsidies to help Americans buy insurance. Published March 4, 2015
Obamacare Supreme Court partisan battle lines drawn
Federal lawmakers staked out partisan positions on the eve of Obamacare's second major showdown before the Supreme Court, with Democrats urging the justices not to create chaos in more than 30 states, while Republicans mapped out an escape route from the contentious health overhaul. Published March 3, 2015
Obama administration prepares for court showdown over Obamacare subsidies
The Obama administration has prepared for Wednesday's Supreme Court showdown by spending an extraordinary amount of time not just arguing the law, but the possible bad outcomes if the justices strike down Obamacare's subsidies in most states. Published March 2, 2015
GOP senators say they can rescue Americans from fallout of Obamacare ruling
A trio of influential Republican senators said Monday they're closing in on a plan to help Americans who would be affected by a Supreme Court ruling that yanks Obamacare's subsidies from two-thirds of the states. Published March 2, 2015
House rejects Homeland Security funding
Conservatives rebelled in the House Friday afternoon, joining Democrats to defeat a bill to keep the Homeland Security Department open past a midnight shutdown deadline and leaving funding in doubt as all sides continued to fight over President Obama's deportation amnesty. Published February 27, 2015
Congress’s Obamacare exemption of itself OK, judge rules
A D.C. judge has dismissed a lawsuit that claimed Congress overstepped its bounds when it allowed lawmakers and staff to enroll in an Obamacare exchange set up for small employers in the nation's capital. Published February 26, 2015
Sylvia Mathews Burwell: Not aware of a secret HHS document to prep for Obamacare ruling
President Obama's top health official told Congress Thursday she is not aware of a 100-page workup that, according to an influential Republican, lays out potential options the Health and Human Services Department may take if the Supreme Court strikes down many of Obamacare's subsidies. Published February 26, 2015
Ben Sasse outlines off-ramp for Obamacare subsidies case
A freshman Republican senator says he will introduce legislation in the coming days that provides an off-ramp for Americans who would be affected by a Supreme Court ruling this summer that could blow a wide hole in Obamacare. Published February 26, 2015
Lamar Alexander, Senate Republicans to test Obama’s bipartisanship
A key Republican said Wednesday the Senate GOP will fast-track two conservative priorities — a bill that shields states from Common Core or other national education standards and a state alternative to Obamacare exchanges — as they seek to test President Obama's bipartisanship. Published February 25, 2015
Taxpayers duck Obamacare tax, snubbing IRS
Taxpayers are already telling their accountants they plan to stiff the IRS on the Obamacare tax, saying they figure the chances the agency comes after them for a few hundred bucks are pretty slim, and it makes sense to take the risk. Published February 25, 2015
Orrin Hatch: Administration put insurers over regular Americans in plans for Obamacare ruling
A powerful Republican senator says the administration is offering a parachute to insurers under threat by a Supreme Court ruling that could gut Obamacare this June, even as it says nothing to everyday HealthCare.gov enrollees who would lose their subsidies if the justices rule against President Obama's overhaul. Published February 25, 2015
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, HHS secretary: No plan to deal with Obamacare subsidies case
The Obama administration broke its silence and told Congress Tuesday it has no plan to deal with the "massive damage" that would result from a Supreme Court decision that invalidates Obamacare's subsidies in most of the states. Published February 24, 2015
H&R Block study: Majority of Obamacare clients paying back subsidy
A majority of Obamacare customers who received government subsidies last year to get covered on state and federal health exchanges must pay back a portion to the IRS, according to an H&R Block study released Tuesday. Published February 24, 2015
Obamacare subsidy error forces thousands to re-file taxes
Tax season just got more complicated for hundreds of thousands of Americans, as the Obama administration scrambles to fix an error affecting one out of every five Obamacare customers who received government subsidies to help them pay for coverage on HealthCare.gov. Published February 22, 2015
Obamacare officials admit blunder: 800K got faulty tax info from federal website
Bowing to intense pressure, the Obama administration said Friday it will give uninsured Americans exposed to Obamacare's tax for lacking insurance a six-week grace period to enroll in coverage on HealthCare.gov and avoid heftier penalties next year, even though they missed last weekend's deadline to sign up. Published February 20, 2015
Vermont the 3rd state to offer relief for Obamacare penalty payers
Uninsured Vermonters who realize they must pay a special tax for lacking health insurance in 2014 can enroll in the state's health exchange even though they missed Obamacare's signup deadline, the state announced Thursday, making it the third state to extend relief to penalty payers. Published February 19, 2015
