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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Health care providers need incentives to become more transparent and consumers should know the costs of procedures before they undergo them, the Health and Human Services secretary said. (Associated Press/File)

Alex Azar: Americans need access to health care costs, records

The Trump administration will push the American health care system to let consumers know the true costs of medical services, giving them more say in decisions that emphasize "value over volume," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told insurers Thursday.

March 8, 2018
"Today's health care system is simply not delivering outcomes commensurate with its cost — President Trump knows it, and the American people know it too," said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. (Associated Press/File)

HHS tells insurers to gird for radical change in health delivery

The Trump administration is committed to transforming the health care system into one that emphasizes value over marathon tests with hazy prices, while empowering consumers to find doctors and services the way they find restaurants on Yelp or Open Table, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told health insurers Thursday.

March 8, 2018
Mainers for Health Care rally outside the State House prior to Gov. Paul LePage's State of the State address, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in Augusta, Maine. The coalition that supported the successful Yes on 2 campaign to expand Medicaid in 2017 say LePage and his allies in the Legislature are trying to block Medicaid expansion, which is now state law. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Obamacare premiums to increase over Congressional disagreements

Everyone in Washington wants to slash health insurance premiums under Obamacare, but key players can't seem to agree on the terms, leaving the push in jeopardy even as insurers try to size up the program and set rates for the coming year.

March 7, 2018
Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks at a news conference Monday, March 5, 2018, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark., with Seema Verma, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Verma on Monday approved a state plan to require that thousands of people on its Medicaid expansion seek ways to work or volunteer. Traditional Medicaid recipients are not affected. Arkansas is the third state to win permission, following Kentucky and Indiana. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

Donald Trump approves Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas

The Trump administration approved Arkansas's request to impose a work requirement on thousands of Medicaid enrollees, but put off a decision on the state's controversial request to be able to do an Obamacare-lite expansion.

March 5, 2018
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., testifies during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination of former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to become the US ambassador to Russia, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ** FILE **

Joe Manchin proposes changes to 2016 opioids law

Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia filed legislation Monday that would rewrite a controversial 2016 law that made it more difficult for the Drug Enforcement Administration to suspend shipments of opioids that could be diverted to the illicit market.

March 5, 2018
Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting director, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is collecting data from emergency rooms, rather than waiting for death certificates, to study opioid overdoses. (Associated Press/File)

Anne Schuchat, CDC chief, tackles opioid crisis

Dr. Anne Schuchat joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the late 1980s after her post-medical school training coincided with the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis, giving her a firsthand look at a public health crisis.

March 4, 2018
"I think we've been involved more than any administration, by far," President Trump said at a White House summit on the opioid and heroin crisis. (Associated Press/File)

Donald Trump comforts opioids survivors, vows tough fight

President Trump on Thursday comforted those who lost children to the opioids epidemic and decried "weak" U.S. penalties against drug pushers, saying countries with harsher penalties, including executions, have less of a problem.

March 1, 2018
First lady Melania Trump speaks at the White House Opioid Summit in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, Thursday, March 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Melania Trump: ‘Much more work to be done’ on opioids

First Lady Melania Trump kicked off an opioids summit Thursday by saying she is "so proud" of the administration's efforts to combat addiction but that far too many Americans still need treatment, a shoulder to cry on and belief they're not alone in the fight.

March 1, 2018
In this Wednesday, April 5, 2017, file photo, Dr. Scott Gottlieb speaks during his confirmation hearing before a Senate committee, in Washington, as President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Food and Drug Administration. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Feds take on clinical, commercial roots of opioids crisis

Food and Drug Administrator Scott Gottlieb said Thursday his agency will be "very aggressive" in warning consumers about opioid-related products or taking them off the market, noting for too long, people thought the U.S. drug epidemic was welling up from the illicit heroin market.

March 1, 2018
Catherine Reviati reviews the different Affordable Care Act enrollment options, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) ** FILE **

Majority now favors Obamacare: Poll

Obamacare has reached new heights of popularity, with a firm majority of Americans holding a favorable view of the health care law in a closely watched poll being released Thursday.

March 1, 2018
"We're hopeful that [Mr. Trump] doesn't pass judgement," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, adding he only defends Texas statutes he deems constitutional. "Certainly, the president has been very critical of Obamacare." (Associated Press)

Obamacare lawsuit: Republican AGs tell Trump ‘let us win’

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, leading the latest attempt to kill Obamacare in the courts, said Tuesday the Trump administration should "let us win" instead of defending the program, saying a victory could be the spur that Congress needs to replace the 2010 law after several failures.

February 27, 2018
This Feb. 19, 2013, file photo shows OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

Senators unveil sequel to major 2016 opioids bill

A bipartisan crop of senators on Tuesday unveiled a sequel to landmark 2016 legislation that targeted the opioids crisis, saying Congress should make sure a brand-new batch of federal dollars are directed toward programs that work.

February 27, 2018