Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Md. grocery store: Obamacare preventing new hires
A D.C.-area grocery store says it has been forced to freeze hiring to avoid costs tied to a new rule under Obamacare. Published April 14, 2014
Obama picked budget chief for HHS to cook Obamacare numbers: GOP Rep.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn on Monday doubled down on her belief that President Obama nominated his budget chief to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius so that the administration could doctor the figures when it comes to Obamacare's delicate economics. Published April 14, 2014
Despite ‘Bridgegate,’ N.J. voters give Gov. Chris Christie high marks for Sandy recovery
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has taken some knocks over what he may have known about a lane-closing episode near the George Washington Bridge last year, but state voters approve 51-42 percent of the way he is handling the recovery from Superstorm Sandy, a Quinnipiac University poll said. Published April 14, 2014
Whatever your tax bracket, majority of Americans say they pay too much
A majority of Americans, 52 percent, told Gallup pollsters their federal tax is "too high," while 42 percent said it is "about right." Published April 14, 2014
Obama, Kansas leaders react to shootings at Jewish centers
President Obama and other political leaders are reacting to reports that three people were killed at or near Jewish centers outside of Kansas City, offering condolences to the victims' families and pledging to assist the investigation. Published April 14, 2014
McCain blasts Obama administration of failure to adequately support Ukraine
Sen. John McCain said Sunday the Obama administration has failed to give adequate support to Ukraine as it clashes with pro-Russian partisans near its eastern border. Published April 13, 2014
Rand Paul: Decision on 2016 presidential bid will come after mid-terms
Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday he will not decide whether to run for president until after the mid-term elections, noting he still has to poll his family before he builds on straw poll victories and launches an earnest bid. Published April 13, 2014
Sebelius: I made it clear to Obama that I was leaving
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who led the rocky rollout of Obamacare and surprised D.C. observers by stepping down this week, said that if President Obama wanted to talk her out of leaving, he didn't even get the chance. Published April 13, 2014
Steve Israel: Dems banking on poor GOP ratings to help in November
The head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Sunday that while President Obama's approval ratings are in the dumps, there is no reason to panic about November's mid-term elections. Published April 13, 2014
HHS nominee Burwell faces tight scrutiny
Lawmakers dug in Sunday for a proxy war over the new health care law, now that President Obama has selected a well-known manager to replace Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and lead his signature program into a new era. Published April 13, 2014
Obama hails Sebelius, pivots to Sylvia Mathews Burwell to clean up troubled Obamacare
President Obama hailed departing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as a tireless leader who turned around the troubled rollout of his health care law — one week after he failed to mention her in cheering the millions of enrollees his sweeping overhaul brought in from October to March. Published April 11, 2014
Kathleen Sebelius resigning after botched Obamacare rollout
President Obama will move this week to shake up his health care team, accepting the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and tapping his budget director as a troubleshooting replacement. Published April 10, 2014
Government paid out billions in suspect Medicare claims — report
Medicare paid out $2 billion in error because nearly a third of the claims it reviewed did not adequately document face-to-face encounters with beneficiaries who seek home health services such as nursing care or physical therapy, a federal inspector general has found. Published April 10, 2014
Covered California tells Obamacare customers to finish up; no more leeway after April 15
Covered California, the Obamacare exchange in the nation's most populous state, urged residents Wednesday to finish their health coverage applications before next week's deadline so they do not have to pay a tax penalty. Published April 9, 2014
Obama administration releases trove of Medicare data, over some objections
The Obama administration on Wednesday released a trove of data on the health care services that physicians and other health care providers delivered in 2012 — and how much Medicare paid out for them. Published April 9, 2014
Deadline extension boosts Obamacare sign-ups
States running their own health care exchanges say tens of thousands of enrollees are taking advantage of deadline grace periods to sign up for health plans — boosting the White House's enrollment tally while underscoring the glitches that made the extensions necessary. Published April 8, 2014
Brady accuses Obama administration of selective law
Rep. Kevin Brady says the Obama administration is picking and choosing when it has the authority to tweak the health care law and when it does not, ultimately bending the situation to its own needs. Published April 8, 2014
Senate GOP: Tax dollars wasted on faulty state-run Obamacare websites
A pair of Senate Republicans said Tuesday they are upset that taxpayer dollars were spent on balky Obamacare websites run by the states. Published April 8, 2014
Medicare will see boost, not cuts, in 2014
Bowing to intense election-year pressure from both Democrats and Republicans, the Obama administration reversed course Monday and said that rather than cutting Medicare Advantage payments, it will actually boost them next year. Published April 7, 2014
States see big disparities in Obamacare Medicaid sign-ups
Published April 7, 2014
