Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Poor Ebola response isn’t about budget cuts, former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson says
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said Thursday the sluggish response to Ebola and the lack of a vaccine is due to poor coordination and lax attention to the virus, not money issues. Published October 16, 2014
Public interest group sues D.C. Obamacare exchange for letting Congress apply for coverage
A conservative public-interest law firm sued the D.C. health exchange Wednesday for letting members of Congress get health insurance through their small-business portal even though each chamber on Capitol Hill employs thousands of people. Published October 15, 2014
Obamacare website CEO sees rosier 2015
The man in charge of the HealthCare.gov said the Obama administration is starting to notify customers who bought health coverage during Obamacare's first year that they need to re-enroll this fall. Published October 15, 2014
Second health care worker with Ebola to be transported to Atlanta
The second health care worker in Texas who tested positive for Ebola should not have traveled by air with other passenger the day before she reported symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday, although she will be transferred to a specially equipped hospital in Atlanta. Published October 15, 2014
Ebola expert teams ready to respond to new patients in U.S.
A Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola while caring for an infected patient said Tuesday she is "doing well," even as officials announced measures to keep health care workers safe and avoid missteps that may have let the deadly virus spread to a second person in the U.S. Published October 14, 2014
Udall takes Gardner’s Medicare record to task in Colorado debate
Seated onstage across from his Republican challenger, Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado needed fewer than 40 words to sum up four years of squabbling over Medicare and federal spending. Published October 14, 2014
CDC Director Tom Frieden: Ebola response teams ready to help any U.S. hospital
The official spearheading the U.S. response to Ebola announced Tuesday that expert teams will respond to any new cases within hours, a reaction to "loud and clear" complaints from health care workers who do not know how to treat the deadly virus. Published October 14, 2014
Jeb Bush lends support to Rick Scott re-election bid
The Republican Party of Florida released a campaign ad Tuesday in which Jeb Bush gives Florida Gov. Rick Scott a thumbs-up for delivering on jobs and education. Published October 14, 2014
Congress calls U.S. officials to Washington for Ebola update
House lawmakers have asked U.S. officials on the front lines of the battle against Ebola to testify before Congress Thursday, as a second diagnosis in Dallas rattles health care workers and the American public. Published October 14, 2014
Dallas nurse with Ebola says she’s ‘doing well’
The 26-year-old nurse who contracted Ebola while taking care of an infected patient in Dallas is "doing well" and has received a blood transfusion from American doctor Kent Brantly, who overcame the virus after he was flown home from West Africa. Published October 14, 2014
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook pours $25M into fight against Ebola
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is ponying up $25 million to fight Ebola in the countries hardest hit by the deadly virus. Published October 14, 2014
Mitch McConnell doubles-down, says Kentucky Obamacare exchange can survive without Obamacare
The topsy-turvy politics of Obamacare were on full display during the Kentucky Senate debate late Monday, as Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell suggested the health care law should be pulled out "root and branch" but the state exchange website tied to the overhaul could somehow survive. Published October 14, 2014
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
