Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
D.C. authority at center of battle on abortion funding
Republicans signaled Thursday that they will try to permanently ban taxpayer-funded abortions in the District of Columbia, igniting a furious backlash from city officials who said the move is an effort to change a 40-year understanding between the city and the federal government. Published January 9, 2014
Republican-led states rethink rejection of Medicaid expansion
With Obamacare now in effect across the country, some Republican-led states will revisit their decisions to reject an expansion of Medicaid, once again deciding whether their contempt for the Affordable Care Act outweighs the allure of additional federal money in the short term. Published January 9, 2014
House GOP changes tack on Obamacare, focuses on website security
The White House said Thursday it opposes — yet noticeably did not threaten to veto — a pair of House bills that would require the government to issue weekly reports on Obamacare enrollment and quickly notify consumers of any breach of their personal data on state-based insurance markets tied to the law. Published January 9, 2014
D.C. officials: House GOP-led abortion bill redefines ‘federal government’
Republicans signaled Thursday that they will try to permanently ban taxpayer-funded abortions in the District of Columbia, igniting a furious backlash from city officials who said the move is an effort to change a 40-year understanding between the city and the federal government. Published January 9, 2014
Rep. Issa hints at prosecuting Sebelius for ‘false’ Obamacare testimony
The House’s top investigator told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday she must recant her “false” testimony to Congress about the rollout of Obamacare and warned she could face criminal prosecution for lying to Congress. Published January 8, 2014
Illegal aliens still get Medicare benefits, but feds vow crackdown, $70M savings
Federal health officials vowed this week to crack down on illegal immigrants who get Medicare — signaling that one part of the Obama administration believes it has authority to deny taxpayer-funded benefits going to those in the country without authorization. Published January 7, 2014
Rate of health spending growth remained low in 2012, government actuaries show
Health care spending in the United States grew at a rate of 3.7 percent in 2012 to $2.8 trillion, actuaries for the Obama administration said Monday, a rate similar to that of recent years amid a stretch of historically low spending growth. Published January 6, 2014
GOP senator sues over Obamacare subsidies for Congress
Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday he will ask the courts to make sure that Congress is treated the same way regular Americans are treated in the Obamacare marketplace, even if it means taking away his colleagues' health care subsidies, because the financial aid is not in the Obamacare law they passed in 2010 and forces taxpayers to pay for part of lawmakers' premiums. Published January 6, 2014
Sen. Ron Johnson to sue over Obamacare’s special treatment for lawmakers, staffers
Sen. Ron Johnson sued Monday to take away his fellow lawmakers' health care subsidies, saying members of Congress and staff who must enter the Obamacare marketplace should not get financial perks that regular Americans cannot obtain. Published January 6, 2014
Obamacare release form stokes uproar in nuns’ contraception fight
The fight over a contraception rule tied to Obamacare has religious liberty advocates and women's health groups at loggerheads over a simple act: What does it mean when a group of Colorado nuns signs a release form? Published January 5, 2014
White House urges Supreme Court to reject nuns’ appeal for birth control exemption
The U.S. government said Friday that a Colorado congregation of Catholic nuns had no reason to seek and obtain an 11th-hour Supreme Court reprieve from an Obamacare rule that requires employers to insure contraception. Published January 3, 2014
Report: Obamacare may increase use of emergency rooms
By urging states to expand Medicaid, Obamacare may actually increase the number of people who will get medical care from emergency rooms, according to a new report Thursday that counters previous Obama administration claims that the Affordable Care Act would stem the need for emergency visits. Published January 2, 2014
Organizers preaching the word of Obamacare
Every Sunday, Hannah Gravette goes to church to spread the word about Obamacare to Southern Californians. Published January 1, 2014
Obamacare mandate takes effect; court’s move on contraception clouds milestone
The "individual mandate" requiring Americans to have health insurance, a giant political issue for most of President Obama's tenure, finally takes effect Wednesday with hardly a passing notice — though the law's contraception rules drew renewed scrutiny from a Supreme Court justice late Tuesday. Published December 31, 2013
Sebelius touts Obamacare as ‘new day’
President Obama's top health official said Tuesday that 2014 marks a "new day in health care for millions of Americans," with more than 2 million people having enrolled in a private plan as of Saturday and nearly 4 million finding out they're eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program through the end of November. Published December 31, 2013
Sebelius: 2014 marks ‘new day’ for Obamacare
Brushing aside Obamacare’s ongoing problems, the president’s top health official said Tuesday that 2014 marks a “new day in health care for millions of Americans,” with more than 2 million people having enrolled as of Saturday and nearly 4 million learning in the first two months of the rollout that they’re eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Published December 31, 2013
Obamacare supervisor retires, second official to leave since shaky rollout
An Obama administration official who supervised the balky rollout of the health care law is retiring, the nation's Medicare agency said Monday. Published December 30, 2013
Enrollment on federal Obamacare market crests at 1 million
The Obama administration says more than 1 million people have signed up for private insurance through the federal marketplace, a December-heavy surge in enrollment following the disastrous launch of HealthCare.gov that began in October and bled into November. Published December 30, 2013
Hypocrisy of the Left: Foes of Mitt Romney excuse endless Obamacare waivers
Little more than a year ago, the health care conversation was whether a potential President Mitt Romney could use executive powers to halt some or all of Obamacare. Now, it's President Obama himself who has made extensive use of those powers, leaving the GOP to accuse him and his defenders of hypocrisy. Published December 29, 2013
Obama administration: HealthCare.gov did its job during crucial week of sign-ups
The Obama administration said Friday that HealthCare.gov, the main website tied to Obamacare, did "what it was supposed to do" in handling a rush of users this past week. Published December 27, 2013
