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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this May 18, 2017, file photo, the Healthcare.gov website is seen on a laptop computer, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Obamacare deadline produces wait times at call centers

Obamacare's main website is operating smoothly, but there are longer wait times at federal call centers, the Trump administration said Friday, as customers in much of the country faced a midnight deadline to get covered.

December 15, 2017
In this Oct. 18, 2017, file photo, the Healthcare.gov website is seen on a computer screen in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ** FILE **

HealthCare.gov signups hit 4.7M heading into final week

Obamacare's main website will need a crush of last-minute signups to match last year's tally, according to an government update Wednesday that says HealthCare.gov is still millions of customers shy of what it needs to expand its customer base.

December 13, 2017
In this Dec. 4, 2017, photo, part of the Republican Senate bill "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" is photographed in Washington. Republican tax legislation advancing toward final votes in Congress could undermine “Obamacare” health insurance markets, and add to the financial squeeze on Medicare over time. This week lawmakers will try to resolve differences between House and Senate versions in hopes of finishing around Christmas. Also in play are the tax deduction for people with high medical expenses, and a tax credit for drug makers that develop treatments for diseases affecting relatively few patients. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) **FILE**

House GOP files bills to delay Obamacare taxes

The House GOP's tax writers announced a flurry of bills to delay Obamacare's taxes on health insurers and medical devices and lift penalties on employers, saying Americans need "targeted relief" from the levies while they work to repeal and replace the law outright.

December 12, 2017
This Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, photo shows an arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen in New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison) ** FILE **

DEA eyes changes, not repeal, of embattled 2016 law on opioids

A top DEA official told Congress on Tuesday the agency would like to reform -- rather than repeal -- a 2016 law that made it harder for agents to suspend opioid shipments that could fall into the hands of corrupt doctors or criminal dealers.

December 12, 2017
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, center, arrives as Republican senators gather to meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the GOP effort to overhaul the tax code, on Capitol Hill, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Susan Collins’ vote could be key for tax bill

Progressives who cheered when Republican Sen. Susan Collins tanked efforts to repeal Obamacare are pleading for a repeat on the GOP tax bill, saying she should revoke her support after House Republicans threw cold water on the pact leaders used to win her vote.

December 10, 2017
The Capitol is seen in Washington, early Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017, days before a budget clash could produce a partial government shutdown by the weekend unless there's an agreement on a measure temporarily keeping agencies open. President Donald Trump and congressional leaders have scheduled a meeting to sort out their differences over spending, immigration and other priorities. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Congress passes stopgap bill to avert government shutdown

House Republicans rallied around a stopgap bill to keep the government open for another two weeks, freeing up space to finish their prized tax bill but kicking thorny spending decisions to just before Christmas.

December 7, 2017
The Healthcare.gov website is seen on a computer screen Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017, in Washington. If President Donald Trump succeeds in shutting down a major “Obamacare” subsidy, it would have the unintended consequence of making basic health insurance available to more people for free, and making upper-tier plans more affordable. The unexpected assessment comes from consultants, policy experts, and state officials trying to discern the potential fallout from a Washington health care debate that’s becoming harder to follow.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Obamacare signups hit 3.6 million

Signups on Obamacare's main website remained strong in their fifth week, reaching 3.6 million, though enrollees aren't coming in fast enough to expand the program's pool of enrollees, according to government figures released Wednesday.

December 6, 2017
From left, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., meet with reporters after House Republicans held a closed-door strategy session as the deadline looms to pass a spending bill to fund the government by week's end, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House panel delays meeting on critical spending bill

House leaders delayed consideration Tuesday of a stopgap funding bill needed to avoid a government shutdown this weekend, as the GOP tried to mollify its restive conference and maintain a strong negotiating hand in year-end spending talks.

December 5, 2017
In this Nov. 2, 2017, file photo, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., flanked by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, left, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., holds a news conference on Capitol Hill to respond to the Republican tax reform plan in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Top Democrats set for spending talks with GOP, Donald Trump

Top Democrats said Monday they will reengage with President Trump and GOP leaders to discuss a year-end spending deal, hoping to avoid a government shutdown over immigration and other thorny issues after feuding torpedoed earlier talks.

December 4, 2017
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump donates $100K in pay to HHS

The White House on Thursday said President Trump is donating his quarterly paycheck to the Health and Human Services Department to help combat an opioids crisis that is killing tens of thousands of Americans each year.

November 30, 2017