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Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr.

Tom Howell Jr. covers politics and the White House for The Washington Times. He can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013, at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the implementation failures of the Affordable Care Act. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius calls for review of Obamacare rollout woes

President Obama's top health official said Wednesday she directed her agency's inspector general to investigate the flawed rollout of the federal website tied to Obamacare, which has cost $677 million and is gaining enrollees after an extensive effort to patch up software problems and add capacity. Published December 11, 2013

** FILE ** Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius greets Mary and Willie Williams as they meet with a navigator about their health care options under the Affordable Care Act, at the North Shore Medical Center in Miami, on Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013. (Associated Press)

More than a quarter million sign up for Obamacare in November

Nearly 365,000 people selected a private health plan on state Obamacare markets through the end of November — a sign that people are flocking to the patched-up federal website, HealthCare.gov — although the new pace falls short of long-range projections for an inaugural sign-up period that ends in March. Published December 11, 2013

Sen. David Vitter

Harry Reid, David Vitter spar over Obamacare ‘exemptions’

Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana took the Senate's top Democrat to task on Tuesday, saying Majority Leader Harry Reid should disclose how he decided which of his staff should get their health insurance from the Obamacare exchanges. Published December 10, 2013

A page on the HealthCare.gov website is pictured on Friday, Nov. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Oregonians likely to rely on paper Obamacare enrollment into January

The chief of Oregon's health exchange apologized Tuesday for its lackluster performance under Obamacare and said it will not have a high-functioning website until weeks into the new year, as officials plow through thousands of paper applications to get residents covered in time for Jan. 1. Published December 10, 2013

** FILE ** Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican. (Associated Press)

Ted Cruz sees legal landmines ahead for Obamacare

One of Congress' staunchest critics of Obamacare released a report Monday that cheers on legal challenges to the overhaul and says the White House overstepped its authority by delaying aspects of the law. Published December 9, 2013

FILE - This Nov. 29, 2013 file photo shows part of the HealthCare.gov website, photographed in Washington. President Barack Obama’s fickle health insurance website is finally starting to put up some respectable signup numbers, but its job only seems to have gotten harder. Two months in and out of the repair shop have left significantly less time to fulfill the White House goal of enrolling 7 million people for 2014 by the end of open enrollment March 31. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Obama admin.: One in 10 Obamacare forms might have errors

The Obama administration said up to one in four of the forms that transmitted enrollment data from the federal Obamacare exchange to insurers may have contained errors in October and November, according to a preliminary review. Published December 6, 2013

The White House Youth Summit is scheduled for Wednesday, maybe just in time. A new Gallup poll reveals that Americans who have not yet turned 30 know the least about Obamacare. (THE WHITE HOUSE)

Young millennials shun Obamacare, creating risky imbalance

Less than one-third of uninsured young Americans say they are likely to sign up for health insurance in the Obamacare exchanges, according to a Harvard University Institute of Polling survey Wednesday that signals President Obama's sales pitch to a key group of his supporters is falling short. Published December 4, 2013

This photo of part of the HealthCare.gov website page featuring information about the SHOP Marketplace is photographed in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013 The Obama administration is delaying yet another aspect of the health care law, putting off until next November the launch of an online portal to the health insurance marketplace for small businesses. The move was needed because repairs are still under way to the troubled HealthCare.gov website, which is the primary way for individuals to apply for insurance, and that has priority, federal officials said. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Federal judge set to decide Obamacare battle over subsidies

A federal judge is set to decide this month whether Obamacare insurance markets run by the federal government can dole out subsidies to help consumers pay for their coverage — a key element to making President Obama's health law work as intended. Published December 3, 2013

FILE - This Nov. 29, 2013 file photo shows part of the HealthCare.gov website, photographed in Washington. President Barack Obama's new and improved health care website will face its next big test when a year-end enrollment crunch is expected to hit in a couple of weeks. Until now the main damage from technology woes has been to Obama's poll ratings, but it will be average Americans feeling the consequences if HealthCare.gov chokes in coming weeks. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Diagnosis: Health site better, but needs work

The Obama administration said a surge of users flocked to a revamped HealthCare.gov on Monday, but tech specialists worried that many are still waiting in line and said errors buried deep in the system could still sour those new customers taking a second look at the Obamacare marketplace. Published December 2, 2013

People wait to enter, outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, in Washington, on Monday March, 25, 2013, a day before the case for gay and lesbian couples rights, will be argued before the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Supreme Court to decide Obamacare birth control mandate

The Supreme Court has agreed to referee another dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law, whether businesses can use religious objections to escape a requirement to cover birth control for employees. Published November 26, 2013