Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Lawmakers can’t find abortion-free health care exchanges, push transparency bill
Rep. Christopher H. Smith and a bipartisan pro-life coalition in Congress say the Obama administration is obfuscating consumers about the health care law by not making it clear which exchange plans cover abortion and which don't. Published October 9, 2013
Reid to D.C. mayor: ‘I’m on your side, don’t screw it up’
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants the District of Columbia to know he's not looking to make things hard for the heavily Democratic city during the government shutdown. Published October 9, 2013
Some Americans sick and tired of Obamacare enrollment process
The Obama administration has said there is plenty of time to cure what ails the Obamacare portals because open enrollment lasts until March 31. But patience is wearing thin among some. Published October 8, 2013
Schumer: Boehner will ‘break with tea party’ on shutdown
A top Senate Democrat said Monday he thinks House Speaker John A. Boehner will eventually concede and put a "clean bill" on the chamber floor to fund federal operations and end the government shutdown. Published October 7, 2013
Cruz: Democrats’ attacks show Republicans are ‘winning’
Outspoken Sen. Ted Cruz says "inflammatory" Democratic attacks on the shutdown impasse lead him to believe the Republicans are "winning" in the hearts and minds of the American public, as the GOP attempts to negotiate cutbacks to Obamacare in exchange for funding the government and extending the nation's borrowing authority. Published October 7, 2013
Miriam Carey’s family criticizes police actions during D.C. chase
Family members of the 34-year-old woman who led police on a chase through downtown Washington before being shot dead said Monday the police should not have fired on her car. Published October 7, 2013
Lew says health exchange rollout glitches typical for new software
After a week of ongoing glitches, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Sunday defended the online rollout of Obamacare's health insurance exchanges and promised the bugs would be worked out. Published October 6, 2013
White House sees Obamacare working — but won’t release figures yet
For the fourth day in a row, the Obama administration on Friday declined to release figures on how many Americans have purchased health insurance through the just-opened online markets tied to the new health care law. Published October 4, 2013
Kentucky health exchange: Early Obamacare interest is genuine
Millions of people are checking out websites that allow people get health insurance under Obamacare, a surge of curiosity that's slowed down the sites and led to glitches during the plan's first week of open enrollment. Published October 4, 2013
Overloads arise with 34 states using one health exchange site
The Obama administration's health care rollout may have been rockier than expected this week because so many states refused to cooperate, leaving the federal government to run far more exchanges than initially planned, according to analysts studying the Affordable Care Act. Published October 3, 2013
Day 2 of Obamacare rollout: After rocky start, Obama admin. launches awareness campaign
The Obama administration preached patience Wednesday as it tried to rebound from the wobbly debut of online insurance markets tied to the health care reform law, saying technical flubs on the websites designed to help uninsured Americans find coverage were caused by heavy traffic and not design flaws. Published October 2, 2013
Buzz about Obamacare exposes bugs in the system
The debut of Obamacare was so successful Tuesday that the program didn't work very well. Published October 1, 2013
Obamacare drama: Political winds shift with health care law
Battered and bruised by politics and its own glitches, the centerpiece of President Obama's health care law is set to begin Tuesday, a highly anticipated date that will set into motion the Democrats' winding reforms and shape decisions at the ballot box for years to come. Published September 30, 2013
House Republicans pass test vote to defund Obamacare; shutdown edges closer
House Republicans survived a key test vote Thursday on their plan to keep the government running while trying to halt the health care law, defying a veto threat from President Obama and inching closer to a shutdown showdown with Senate Democrats. Published September 19, 2013
Sen. Ted Cruz: We will use ‘every ounce of breath’ to defund Obamacare
Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday he will use any means necessary, including a filibuster on the Senate floor, to defund President Obama's health care law while passing a short-term spending plan this month to keep the government open. Published September 19, 2013
Harry Reid, Democrats mock GOP leaders, decry effort to defund Obamacare
Senate Democrats said Thursday that House Republican leaders have abdicated their power to "far-right" members of the party and are wasting their time by threatening to defund Obamacare as part of a spending deal to avert a government shutdown. Published September 19, 2013
Nancy Pelosi: House GOP’s tea partyers are ‘playing with fire’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday a "tea party resolution" set for a vote on Friday to avert a government shutdown would devastate health care reforms and investments in jobs, education and research. Published September 19, 2013
With Obamacare in place, annual health spending to jump in 2014: report
Growth in health care spending will remain slow through 2013 as the economy slogs along in its recovery, but improving fiscal conditions, an aging population and expanded coverage under President Obama's health care law will drive up health spending next year by about two percentage points, government analysts said Wednesday. Published September 18, 2013
House Republicans file, promote an alternative to Obamacare
The Republican Study Committee on Wednesday unveiled a 181-page alternative to the massive federal health care law passed in 2010, touting their "market-focused" reforms as a viable way to fix the nation's broken health care system without imposing mandates and taxes on Americans. Published September 18, 2013
House Republicans will link health care funding to budget, raise risk of shutdown
House Republicans said Wednesday that they will push ahead with plans to tie ongoing operations of the government to their demand that the health care law be delayed, setting up a direct challenge with President Obama and the Senate and inching closer to a government shutdown. Published September 18, 2013