Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Medicare trust fund to last 4 years longer: Obama administration
Slowing health costs will keep the Medicare trust fund from going broke until 2030, or four year later than last year's projections, the Obama administration said Monday. Published July 28, 2014
ACLU: Unprecedented U.S. spying has chilling effect on reporters and sources, weakens accountability
U.S. spying programs are making government sources too skittish to divulge sensitive information to reporters, especially on computer-based technology, making it difficult for journalists to hold powerful entities to account, according to a 120-page report released Monday. Published July 28, 2014
Rep. Mike Rogers: Lock Israel-Palestine negotiators in a room
Rep. Mike Rogers on Monday said peace negotiators need to be locked in a room to "sit down and try to work out the issues" before the conflict between Israel and extremist Palestinian fighters from Hamas deepens with more bloodshed. Published July 28, 2014
Conservative group warns Va. Gov. Terry McAuliffe not to go it alone on Medicaid expansion
A conservative group unveiled a television ad Monday that warns Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to think twice before expanding Medicaid without legislative approval. Published July 28, 2014
Number-crunchers put GOP chances of retaking Senate at 60 percent: report
Republicans have a 60 percent chance of taking control of the Senate in mid-term elections this November, up from 54 percent in April, according to number-crunchers at The New York Times. Published July 28, 2014
Fla. voters’ support for medical marijuana bodes well for ballot measure: poll
Florida voters overwhelmingly support legalizing medical marijuana, 88 to 10 percent, while a smaller margin says adults should be allowed to possess a bit of the drug for personal use, according to a new poll. Published July 28, 2014
Very religious still lean toward GOP, reflecting long-term patterns, Gallup poll shows
Religious and party identity remain linked, with very religious Americans much more likely to identify with the Republican Party than the Democratic side, a Gallup poll said. Published July 28, 2014
States confident on Obamacare subsidies despite rulings of courts
States shifting to the federal Obamacare Web platform this year — and those trying to get away from it — are confident their consumers can get government subsidies to help them pay for health coverage, even if the courts uphold a ruling that restricts the tax credits to insurance exchanges established by a state. Published July 27, 2014
House panel OKs resolution to sue president for Obamacare delays
The Republican-led House is set to take up a measure next week that authorizes Speaker John A. Boehner to sue President Obama over how he implemented parts of Obamacare, adding to the many legal squabbles that surround the health care overhaul this summer. Published July 24, 2014
Insurers cough up refunds to subscribers under Obamacare ‘80-20 rule’
Obamacare's foes and supporters offered competing views Wednesday of how the law is affecting the average American's pocketbook, with Republicans saying the program plays fast and loose with taxpayer dollars while the Obama administration boasted the law has saved consumers billions. Published July 23, 2014
New Democratic caucus will pressure GOP governors to expand Medicaid
Nearly three dozen Democrats have forged a congressional caucus to call on Republican-led states to expand Medicaid under President Obama's health care law. Published July 23, 2014
GOP outraged Obamacare investigators able to get coverage with fake IDs
Republican lawmakers said Wednesday their suspicions about Obamacare's anti-fraud measures have been validated and it is "egregious" that 11 out of 12 government investigators were able to get subsidized Obamacare over the phone. Published July 23, 2014
Contrasting judgments on Obama’s health care hours apart; appeals court calls subsidies unlawful
Opponents of President Obama's health care law notched their biggest legal win to date Tuesday, when the second-most-powerful court in the country said the administration had unlawfully extended Obamacare subsidies to millions of Americans. Published July 23, 2014
Top federal judge uses pizza to explain complex Obamacare situation
Readers who made it to Page 42 of a lunchtime ruling on Obamacare's subsidies may have felt their stomach's grumble Tuesday, when a federal appeals judge resorted to pizza analogies to make his point. Published July 22, 2014
D.C. appeals panel deals big blow to Obamacare subsidies
Millions of Americans are not entitled to government health insurance subsidies under Obamacare because of the way the law is written, a divided three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. Published July 22, 2014
Judge throws out Sen. Ron Johnson’s lawsuit over Obamacare exchanges
A Republican senator had no grounds to sue the Obama administration over how it interpreted the part of Obamacare that forces members of Congress to get their health care insurance through the law's new exchanges, a federal judge ruled Monday. Published July 21, 2014
Michael Lawson approved as nominee to U.N. aviation body
The Senate approved one of President Obama's fundraisers Monday to fill a vacancy on the United Nations body that investigates aviation incidents like the Malaysia Airlines crash that is roiling eastern Ukraine. But first, his nomination ruffled a political saga on U.S. soil. Published July 21, 2014
Harry Reid accuses GOP of holding up U.S. rep for aviation board investigating Ukraine plane crash
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused Republicans Monday of holding up President Obama's pick to serve on the global aviation board that is investigating the shocking crash of a Malaysian Airlines passenger flight over eastern Ukraine. Published July 21, 2014
Half of Colorado voters are OK with Hobby Lobby decision, poll shows
Exactly half of Colorado voters think the Supreme Court got it right when it said closely held corporations may opt out of an Obamacare rule that requires employers to include contraception in their health plans, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday. Published July 21, 2014
Issa questions involvement of trial lawyers in FDA rule change
House investigators suspect the Obama administration catered to trial lawyers in the run-up to a proposal that would allow generic drug makers at times to change their labels without FDA approval. Published July 20, 2014
