Tom Howell Jr.
Articles by Tom Howell Jr.
Iran nuclear deal faces uphill battle with Congress; Netanyahu sees a ‘historic mistake’
The Obama administration put on a full-court press Sunday to defend the deal the U.S. and key allies struck to try to halt Iran's burgeoning nuclear program — but the White House faces a tough sell with members of Congress who criticized the terms and said they'll still press for even tighter sanctions on the Islamic republic. Published November 24, 2013
Administration stretches another Obamacare deadline
The Obama administration said Friday that customers on the Obamacare health insurance exchange will have eight more days to sign up for health coverage this December and still be covered by Jan. 1. Published November 22, 2013
House Dems not impressed by Rep. Issa’s Obamacare road show
The House's top investigator on Friday kicked off series of field hearings on Obamacare's troubled rollout, stopping by North Carolina for a session on premium costs before heading to Georgia, Texas and Arizona. Published November 22, 2013
Obamacare sign-up problematic for congressmen, too
For weeks, Capitol Hill lawmakers have heard stories of both frustration and success from folks back home trying to sign up for Obamacare. Now, lawmakers have their own tales to share. Published November 21, 2013
New emails suggest White House aware of Obamacare problems days before launch
House Republicans released another round of Obamacare-related emails late Thursday that shows concern among administration officials days before the flawed launch of a federal website charged with linking many American to health coverage. Published November 21, 2013
Insurance commissioner criticizes California’s rejection of Obama’s ‘you-can-keep-it’ fix
California's insurance commissioner said Thursday that his state's health exchange board rebuked President Obama and punished about one million residents by deciding to ban its insurers from renewing barebones plans for one year. Published November 21, 2013
Reince Priebus: GOP to ‘tattoo’ Obamacare disaster on 2014 Democrats
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Thursday his party stands ready to "tattoo Obamacare" on the foreheads of vulnerable Democrats in next year's election cycle. Published November 21, 2013
Republicans say new report points to Obamacare security problems
House Republicans on Tuesday used President Obama's damaged credibility and a leaked consultant's report from last spring to launch a fresh round of attacks against all things Obamacare, raising new questions about the testing and security of the federal health insurance marketplace. Published November 19, 2013
Obama’s sudden ‘fix’ gives states another headache from health care
President Obama's announcement last week that he would let states decide whether to let companies continue to offer plans that flout his own health care law has put state officials back on the hot seat. Published November 18, 2013
States take up the fight against Obama’s changes to health care law
The tumultuous Beltway fight over Americans who lost their health plans because of Obamacare is shifting to the states, where regulators will decide whether to heed President Obama's proposal to let Americans renew their plans — or rebuff him to preserve the core mission of his signature law. Published November 17, 2013
House votes to let Americans keep health plans; 39 Dems defy Obama
Nearly 40 House Democrats defied President Obama and helped the Republican majority pass a bill Friday that lets Americans keep, for one year, health plans that do not comply with Obamacare. Published November 15, 2013
House set to vote on Republican fix for Obamacare woes
The House is set to vote on a bill Friday that would let Americans hold health plans in the coming year that do not comply with Obamacare, a key test for Democrats torn between angry constituents who are losing their plans and their own party's remedies — including President Obama's new "fix" that lets existing customers renew their barebones plans. Published November 15, 2013
Obamacare numbers reveal how fate of law rests on website
The federal Obamacare exchanges cover two-thirds of the country, but accounted for just 25 percent of first-month enrollment in the new health markets, signaling just how closely the fate of President Obama's signature law is intertwined with a broken federal website. Published November 14, 2013
State insurance chiefs already rejecting Obama’s ‘fix’; mixed reaction among Democrats
Some insurance commissioners already have rejected President Obama's plan to allow Americans hold onto barebones health plans for another year, saying the move will undercut their attempts to build a balanced insurance system under the reforms. Published November 14, 2013
Obama concedes, announces changes to health care law
President Obama said Thursday he will let Americans renew for one year any health plans that do not meet Obamacare's coverage standards — a stark attempt to quell the political firestorm around his broken promise that those who like their insurance coverage can keep it under his signature law. Published November 14, 2013
White House releases disappointing Obamacare enrollment total: 106,000
The Obama administration said Wednesday that roughly 106,000 Americans had enrolled in private health coverage through Obamacare by selecting a plan during the first month of activity, an expectedly low number of participants as the White House scrambles to fix the overhaul's main website. Published November 13, 2013
Only 106,000: Obamacare enrollment falls far short of goal
Only about 106,000 Americans enrolled in Obamacare's health care exchanges during the first month and fewer than 27,000 of those were from the federally run exchanges, the administration said Wednesday, finally releasing numbers showing just how rocky the rollout has been for President Obama's signature initiative. Published November 13, 2013
Sen. David Vitter uses pharmacy bill to challenge Obamacare
Sen. David Vitter wants to know if fellow lawmakers are skirting the letter of the law by exempting staff members from state-based Obamacare markets, and he is willing to hold up a pharmaceuticals bill that breezed through a key test vote late Tuesday to get his colleagues to fess up. Published November 12, 2013
Bill Clinton presses Obama to honor health insurance pledge
Former President Bill Clinton said Tuesday President Obama should find a way to keep his oft-repeated promise to the American public that if those who liked their present health insurance plan could keep it under Mr. Obama's new health care law. Published November 12, 2013
Sen. Kay Hagan gets tough on flawed Obamacare rollout
Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan is calling on federal inspectors to investigate the "unacceptable" rollout of the federal Obamacare website to examine what went wrong, who was at fault and how much it is costing to fix the mess. Published November 11, 2013
