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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.

**FILE** President Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius leave the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Feb. 10, 2012, after the president announced the revamp of his contraception policy requiring religious institutions to fully pay for birth control. (Associated Press)

Catholic U. revives fight against Obamacare contraception mandate

With the Obama administration's contraception mandate "bearing down," the Catholic University of America joined the Roman Catholic archbishop in the nation's capital in a renewed legal push to block enforcement of the provision that requires larger employers to insure birth control as part of their health plans. Published August 22, 2013

United Parcel Service driver Albert Palafox makes a delivery in Palo Alto, Calif. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

UPS dropping health coverage for working spouses

Citing in part the new health care law, the United Parcel Service said it will drop health coverage for about 15,000 working spouses of employees who are eligible for coverage from their own employers. Published August 21, 2013

**FILE** Rep. Phil Gingrey (center), Georgia Republican and obstetrician, speaks June 28, 2012, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington by the GOP Doctors Caucus in response to the Supreme Court ruling on President Obama's health care plan. (Associated Press)

Employer health plan costs rose modestly in 2012: Survey

A nonpartisan survey released Tuesday found that the cost of employer-based health plans grew a "modest" 5 percent for single coverage and 4 percent for families since last year, an indication the rate of increases to health costs is slowing as debate about the real-world impact of President Obama's health care law rages ahead of key implementation dates. Published August 20, 2013

**FILE** Linda Door of Laguna Beach, Calif., protests outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington on March 26, 2012, as the court begins hearing arguments on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care overhaul, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (Associated Press)

Obamacare opponents make last stand at town halls

A top conservative group on Monday launched a nationwide tour and a half-million-dollar ad campaign to whip up support for defunding Obamacare as a prerequisite for a deal on federal spending next month, a last-ditch effort to roll back the health care law before its principal features take effect. Published August 19, 2013

Sen. Mary L. Landrieu in an ad that riffs off the classic Nintendo game "Duck Hunt." (Courtesy of the National Republican Senatorial Committee)

GOP keeps needling Obamacare in key Senate states

Republican operatives over the weekend used field work for the mid-term elections to take a swipe at President Obama's health care law, while the president strongly condemned GOP criticism of his reforms as obstructionism of the highest order. Published August 18, 2013

President Obama (Associated Press)

Obama’s radio address describes health insurance as a ‘right’

President Obama on Saturday offered one of his strongest defenses to date of his signature domestic achievement, lambasting Republican critics of his health care law as obstructionists who are playing politics with the well-being and economic security of millions of Americans. Published August 17, 2013

**FILE** U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, Iowa Democrat, speaks in Dubuque, Iowa, on Oct. 29, 2010. (Associated Press)

New GOP ads hit Obamacare ‘exemption,’ Iowa congressman

The National Republican Senatorial Committee on Friday will take their first swipe at Democrats in the wake of an Obama administration decision to let federal lawmakers and their staffs keep the government subsidy that offsets much of their insurance premiums costs — even though they will enter state-based health exchanges under "Obamacare." Published August 16, 2013

**FILE** House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 15, 2013. (Associated Press)

Issa to Treasury: Hand over documents on Obamacare decision

Republican House investigators say the Treasury is stonewalling requests for detailed information about how and when the Obama administration decided to extend government subsides to consumers who will use federally run insurance markets under Obamacare. Published August 15, 2013

**FILE** Attorney General Eric Holder, the nation's top law enforcement official, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 15, 2013, before the House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice. (Associated Press)

Newt Gingrich: AG Eric Holder got it right on sentencing reform

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. got it right when he called this week for a major shift away from harsh minimum sentences for certain drug crimes in an attempt to cut down an inflating federal prison population. Published August 15, 2013

Screen grab of the Republican "Duck Hunt" ad targeting Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Mary Landrieu targeted in ‘Duck Hunt’ ad

Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is the target of a new Republican ad that riffs off the popular Nintendo game "Duck Hunt," a B-side to the Super Mario Bros. classic that features zig-zagging birds and a mocking dog. Published August 15, 2013

D.C. groups get grants to help residents with health law

City officials in the nation's capital on Wednesday awarded $6.4 million in grants to nearly three dozen community groups tasked with helping residents navigate benefits within the new health care law. Published August 14, 2013