Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Administration: Renewing Obamacare easier than enrolling
The Obama administration said Thursday most Obamacare federal exchange customers will be able to easily re-enroll in their current plans at the end of this year, offering a convenience that they hope will help head off the kinds of disruptions that plagued the overhaul's initial rollout late last year. Published June 26, 2014
Many Obamacare customers may need to switch plans to avoid ‘substantial’ hikes: study
A new analysis finds Obamacare customers who received government subsidies to reduce the cost of health coverage will face "substantial" premium increases unless they switch plans in 2015. Published June 26, 2014
Obamacare mired by lawsuits challenging fundamentals
The Supreme Court will rule sometime before the end of this month on the Obama administration's contraceptive mandate, but bigger challenges to Obamacare are still winding their way through the courts. Published June 25, 2014
Government: Anti-fraud measures claw back millions in Medicare payments
The Obama administration said Wednesday its "state-of-the-art" anti-fraud systems prevented more than $210 million in improper Medicare payments in fiscal 2013, its second year in use and twice the amount it saved in the inaugural year. Published June 25, 2014
Top archivist says IRS ‘did not follow the law’ on missing emails
The Internal Revenue Service broke the law when it failed to report Lois G. Lerner's broken hard drive and lost emails, the national archivist told Congress on Tuesday, further fueling the email scandal. Published June 24, 2014
Oversight Democrats: IRS, agencies need IT help, not just criticism
Amid partisan bickering over the IRS' political targeting scandal, Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier told the House oversight committee to do something "constructive in nature" so government agencies are not left in a technological Stone Age. Published June 24, 2014
Rep. Paul Gosar: Why pass new laws if IRS won’t follow them?
Rep. Paul Gosar said Tuesday that tweaks to record-preservation laws in the wake of the IRS political targeting scandal will amount to nothing if agencies do not follow the rules, anyway. Published June 24, 2014
House GOP probe into IRS political targeting gets ‘hostile’
The House's top investigator and a member of the White House's counsel team had a difference of legal opinion Tuesday. Published June 24, 2014
Rep. Darrell Issa: IRS has done little for its reputation over last few days
The House's top investigator said Tuesday the relationship between congressional Republicans and the IRS was "not improved" by agency Commissioner John Koskinen's "disappointing performance" late Monday, as members of Congress probe what happened to emails that could be key to their investigation of political targeting at the revenue agency. Published June 24, 2014
Most Obamacare enrollees were not insured before turning to law’s exchanges, poll shows
More than half of the people who selected a health plan on Obamacare's exchanges were uninsured before they signed up, according to a broad survey released Thursday that lends ammo to the law's supporters and foes alike. Published June 19, 2014
White House warned about Obamacare website’s woes
Senate Republicans will shine a spotlight on Obamacare's early stumbles Thursday with a report that divulges new details about warning signs that surfaced before HealthCare.gov's failed launch. Published June 19, 2014
House GOP: Obamacare ‘bailout’ favors large insurers over taxpayers
Most health insurance companies are expecting a government "bailout" to compensate them for costs associated with signing up to provide coverage through Obamacare, said House Republicans who surveyed the insurers. Published June 18, 2014
Obamacare architects gear up for second year
Key Obamacare architects said Tuesday political headwinds will not deter them from promoting the controversial health law in its second year, casting the reforms as a private matter for American families even though it remains the centerpiece of partisan struggles on Capitol Hill. Published June 18, 2014
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear dishes on his state’s Obamacare success
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear told Obamacare supporters on Tuesday his state rolled out one of the nation's most successful health exchanges by keeping things simple and not letting political winds knock them off course. Published June 17, 2014
Sebelius speaks out: Obamacare toppled ‘relentless obstruction’
Former Health and Human Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in her first major remarks since resigning, said Tuesday that proponents of President Obama's health overhaul were able to overcome "relentless obstruction" and even intimidation in states that rejected the health care law. Published June 17, 2014
Health expert: Think Obamacare efforts are hard? Try working in New Jersey
One of the nation's leading health policy experts told a pro-Obamacare crowd in Washington on Tuesday he's used to adversity from his tenure as a cabinet official in New Jersey's capital. Published June 17, 2014
Obama thanks health care law supporters in a surprise video
In a surprise video message, President Obama on Tuesday thanked nearly 1,000 people tied to the nationwide effort to enroll people through his health care law, saying they cannot let up now because billionaire donors on "the other side" will try to roll back their gains. Published June 17, 2014
U.S. health care system ranks last among 11 industrialized nations
The U.S. has the most expensive health care system but it ranks last among 11 peer nations in quality, according to a study released Monday that cues up new questions about whether Obamacare will improve things. Published June 16, 2014
Criticism of Obama mounts as Islamists sweep through Iraq
Members of Congress called on President Obama Sunday to link up with Arab allies and quell a quick-moving crisis in Iraq, where Islamic militants swept toward Baghdad and left a bloody trail in their wake. Published June 15, 2014
No 2016 White House bid for Romney
Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Sunday he is not going to launch another White House bid in 2016. Published June 15, 2014
