Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
New Idaho exchange will grab its 76K Obamacare customers without feds’ help
Idaho officials say they're tired of waiting on files from the federal government and have figured out a way to transfer the state's 76,000 Obamacare customers from the federal marketplace to its state-run portal this fall. Published August 14, 2014
Administration urges Obamacare customers to update citizenship data
The Obama administration pleaded with more than 300,000 Obamacare customers Tuesday to fix inconsistent citizenship or immigration data they submitted to the government or else risk losing their health coverage by the end of next month. Published August 12, 2014
Partisan divide seen in federal judges’ Obamacare votes
Predicting whether Obamacare survives its latest battery of court challenges could be as easy as looking at the judges making the decisions — and the presidents who appointed them. Published August 10, 2014
Kentucky, Arkansas tops in trimming uninsured rate under Obamacare
Two southern states with key Senate contests have seen the sharpest drops in their uninsured rates since Obamacare's rule requiring Americans to hold health insurance took effect at the start of this year, according to Gallup. Published August 5, 2014
Treasury IG: IRS is reporting accurate data to Obamacare system
The IRS generally is reporting accurate income and family size information to the Obamacare's new insurance exchanges, according to a Treasury audit Tuesday that offers good news to an Obama administration dogged by questions about whether its health care law's systems actually work. Published August 5, 2014
Obama administration asked whole D.C. Circuit to take on major Obamacare case
The Obama administration has asked the second-most powerful court in America to take a second look at a ruling that, if upheld, would blow a huge hole in its signature health care law. Published August 1, 2014
John Kerry condemns attack on Israeli soldiers, kidnapping
Secretary of State John Kerry condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the Friday attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and led to the apparent capture of a third, saying it was an "outrageous violation of the cease-fire" negotiated in recent days. Published August 1, 2014
U.S. starts to evacuate American Ebola patients from West Africa: Report
American health officials are transferring an American patient infected with the Ebola virus from West Africa to the U.S. for treatment in Atlanta. Published August 1, 2014
Israeli spokesman: No need to debate who broke the cease-fire
The spokesman for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday there is really no debate about who broke a humanitarian cease-fire between his country and the Hamas group on the Palestinian side of the conflict that's been raging over Gaza for days. Published August 1, 2014
Americans don’t like Obamacare, but they’d rather fix it than repeal: poll
A closely watched health poll released Friday says more than half the public — 53 percent — has an unfavorable view of Obamacare, up eight percentage points from a comparable poll in July. Published August 1, 2014
Dave Brat wishes Eric Cantor well, says he’s ready to take over on Nov. 5
The man who dramatically unseated former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor from his Virginia seat took the high road Friday upon learning the congressman will resign in mid-August. Published August 1, 2014
Ugandan court invalidates controversial anti-gay law
A Ugandan court has invalidated an anti-gay law the country issued earlier this year, saying it was passed illegally, according to reports. Published August 1, 2014
Edge in Democrat-leaning Americans not enough to make up for GOP turnout: poll
Slightly more Americans identify as Democrat than Republican, but recently history indicates that edge isn't enough to make up for the energy GOP voters will hold this November, according to Gallup. Published August 1, 2014
Eric Cantor to resign Aug. 18
Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has confirmed reports he will be stepping down from Congress later this month. Published August 1, 2014
Bill Nelson blasts his state’s handling of health insurance policy
Published July 31, 2014
Young adults shun Obamacare mostly due to cost: survey
Despite the conventional narrative, most of the "young invincibles" aged 19 to 34 who did not sign up for health insurance during Obamacare's first round cited cost, while only one in five said they just didn't expect to need coverage, according to Deloitte. Published July 31, 2014
LGBT adults still lean overwhelmingly toward Democratic Party
More than six in 10 Americans who say they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender identify as a Democrat or Democrat-leaning independent, while only 21 percent associate themselves with the Republican Party, according to Gallup. Published July 31, 2014
House GOP uses website hearing to slam Obamacare
House lawmakers spent just as much time praising or railing against Obamacare itself as it did on HealthCare.gov's failures — the main point of an oversight hearing Thursday morning — sparing a new employee of the Obama administration from absorbing much heat in the witness chair. Published July 31, 2014
Rep. Tim Murphy: GOP knew HealthCare.gov would be an ‘unmitigated disaster’
Rep. Tim Murphy reminded the public Thursday that House Republicans' suspicions last year about HealthCare.gov, the main Obamacare website, were proven correct when it turned out to be a costly "unmitigated disaster." Published July 31, 2014
U.S. attorney warns N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo not to interfere with anti-corruption probes
The U.S. Attorney for Manhattan has threatened to investigate New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration for possible obstruction of justice and witness tampering, after the governor canceled his own anti-corruption commission, The New York Times said. Published July 31, 2014
