Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Prosecutors: Gray had firsthand knowledge of ‘shadow campaign’
Federal prosecutors said in court Monday that D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray knew firsthand of an illicit "shadow campaign" that funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to his 2010 mayoral bid. Published March 10, 2014
Rate of uninsured Americans is dropping: Gallup
The Gallup polling group says the percentage of Americans without health insurance continued to fall in the first quarter of 2014, to nearly 16 percent compared to just over 17 percent at the end of 2013. Published March 10, 2014
Russia should be booted from FIFA World Cup, senators say
Sens. Dan Coats of Indiana and Mark Kirk of Illinois wrote to FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, pleading for him to bar President Vladimir Putin's team from the biggest sporting event in the world this summer. Published March 7, 2014
New tool helps figure Obamacare penalties
As Obamacare takes root, a think tank partnership is offering a new tool to let applicants know just how much they'll have to pony up to the government for lacking health insurance in the coming year. Published March 7, 2014
Tax-prep firms pitch in, cash in on Obamacare
With less than a month left for Americans to enroll in insurance plans under President Obama's health care overhaul, companies like H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service may be the administration's secret weapon in getting people to sign up. Published March 6, 2014
Obama tries to reassure Hispanics on Obamacare
President Obama assured the Hispanic community on Thursday that personal information entered into Obamacare's web system will not be used to root out illegal immigrants for deportation. Published March 6, 2014
Half of uninsured look to Obamacare exchanges for coverage
Roughly half of uninsured adults and almost half of people without employer-based insurance had looked at or planned to check out the Obamacare marketplace to see what it offered, according to a new brief from the Urban Institute. Published March 6, 2014
Another Obamacare deadline moved: Non-compliant plans get 2-year extension
Announcing another change to the president's signature law, the Obama administration said Wednesday that it will let people keep subpar insurance plans through 2016, carving out another exception to Obamacare in a move Republicans said offers further proof that the law is hurting Americans' health and Democrats' election chances this fall. Published March 5, 2014
House votes to delay Obamacare individual mandate
Nearly 30 House Democrats ignored a veto threat by President Obama's and helped the GOP majority pass a bill Wednesday that would let people ignore this year's Obamacare penalty for not having health insurance. Published March 5, 2014
Rep. Dave Camp insists tax reform is possible
Rep. Dave Camp insisted Wednesday his plan to overhaul America's tax code can gain traction and pass this Congress, despite little appetite by key players to take it on in an election year and term limits that will edge him out as chairman of the House's tax committee in 2015. Published March 5, 2014
Obama would veto GOP effort to delay individual mandate
The House is set to vote this week on the Simple Fairness Act, which let Americans go without health insurance in 2014 without facing the tax penalty prescribed by the Affordable Care Act. Published March 4, 2014
HHS: We need $1.8B to run Obamacare portal
President Obama's top health officials said Tuesday they expect Congress to front the money needed to fund Obamacare's federal marketplace in fiscal 2015 as they work to make HealthCare.gov operate better this fall. Published March 4, 2014
Senate Dems accuse GOP of cherry-picking health reforms
Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, wasn't shy about calling out Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, who recently told a tea party crowd he would "repeal every single word of Obamacare." Published March 4, 2014
Insurance brokers see big problems in Obamacare rollouts
A key part of online strategy for President Obama's health care law is faltering as insurance brokers who were supposed to act as middlemen in signing Americans up for policies — particularly the young, healthy enrollees key to the law's success — say they are being thwarted by the clunky system. Published March 3, 2014
New GOP bill would delay key Obamacare mandate
A Republican congresswoman introduced a bill Friday that would effectively delay the most controversial part of Obamacare for one year. Published February 28, 2014
Health insurers detail raised premiums from Obamacare cuts to Medicare
A top health-insurance industry group said Thursday that cuts to Medicare Advantage, called for in Obamacare and announced late last week, will boost the average beneficiary's bill by hundreds of dollars a year. Published February 27, 2014
Group airs ads against Va. Medicaid expansion
Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political action group, has launched a new radio ad in Virginia that urges state lawmakers to fight Gov. Terry McAuliffe's plan to expand Medicaid under Obamacare — a high-stakes issue that's been tied to the budget and raises the specter of a government shutdown in Richmond by mid-year. Published February 27, 2014
Clay Aiken thinks Obamacare could be better
The former "American Idol" runner-up who's gunning for a congressional seat in North Carolina, says the new health care law is rocky in places and should have done more to address health care costs. Published February 27, 2014
Insurers’ lobby hits back at Medicare Advantage cuts, cites report that seniors will pay more
America's Health Insurance Plans said if the plan put forth last week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services comes to pass, combined with last year's cuts the agency will have slashed the popular program by double digits. Published February 27, 2014
Reid backs off on Obamacare horror stories claim
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late Wednesday dialed back his claim that Obamacare horror stories aired by conservative donors like the Koch brothers are "all untrue," but he still thinks most of the negative accounts are false. Published February 26, 2014
