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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is interviewed by a reporter at the Northam For Governor election night party at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Terry McAuliffe: Virginia will be next state to expand Medicaid

Virginia will be the next state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, Gov. Terry McAuliffe predicted this week, saying the massive wins by Democrats in the commonwealth on Tuesday make it all but certain the GOP will have to cave on its long-standing opposition.

November 8, 2017
In this May 18, 2017, file photo, the Healthcare.gov website is seen on a laptop computer in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

CBO: Repealing Obamacare mandate saves $338B

Repealing Obamacare's mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance would save the federal government $338 billion over the next decade as 13 million people would forgo coverage, freeing the government from having to subsidize them, scorekeepers said Wednesday in an analysis could reshape the Republican push to overhaul the tax code.

November 8, 2017
Maine Gov. Paul LePage speaks at a town hall meeting in Yarmouth, Maine, In this March 8, 2017 file photo. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Maine voters opt to expand access to Medicaid

Voters in Maine opted Tuesday to join dozens of states that have expanded Medicaid coverage under Obamacare, delivering a high-profile endorsement of taxpayer-funded coverage even as President Trump tries to dismantle the 2010 health care law.

November 7, 2017
Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, walks to speak with reporters outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 13, 2017, after President Donald Trump signed H.J. Res. 43, which allows states to withhold federal funds from facilities that provide abortion services. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) ** FILE **

Trump admin. signals states can tie Medicaid to work

The Trump administration encouraged states Tuesday to get Medicaid recipients into the workforce, saying President Obama's refusal to set tougher conditions on able-bodied enrollees strained state budgets and failed to prioritize the truly needy.

November 7, 2017
Catherine Reviati reviews the different Affordable Care Act enrollment options, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, in Hialeah, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) ** FILE **

Obamacare interest rises, defying Donald Trump

States that run their own Obamacare markets say they are seeing a surge of interest by Americans checking plans, asking questions and signing up for coverage since the 2018 enrollment period opened last week, suggesting fears of a collapse as a result of Trump administration indifference may have been premature.

November 6, 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 repeal push by Republicans bogs down tax plan hopes

Republicans won't get another crack at repealing Obamacare until next year, but fights over tweaking the law could drag down other parts of the GOP's agenda on Capitol Hill, including renewing funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and throwing a curve in the GOP's tax overhaul.

November 5, 2017
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks to members of the media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington after attending President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump speaking on the opioid crisis, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WH opioids panel approves final report

The U.S. should block-grant funding to the states to combat the prescription drug and heroin epidemic, expand the use of drugs to treat addiction and crack down on traffickers of deadly synthetics like fentanyl, the White House's opioids commission said Wednesday in its final report.

November 1, 2017
In this photo taken May 17, 2017, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Cummings has asked a business partner of the Trump administration’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, for documents detailing Flynn’s foreign contacts and security clearance, according to a letter released Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Democrats devise health care plans for 2018

Congressional Democrats are rolling out bills to patch holes in Obamacare and expand the federal footprint in health care, saying they want to have options ready to go if they win majorities in Congress next year.

October 31, 2017
In this Aug. 9, 2016, file photo, a bag of 4-fluoro isobutyryl fentanyl which was seized in a drug raid is displayed at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Testing and Research Laboratory in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Federal agents vow to hit the ground running after opioids declaration

Federal officials fanned across the country Friday to spotlight President Trump's decision to declare opioid addiction a public health emergency, vowing to disrupt narcotics networks and the "dark web" marketplace where anyone with a computer can buy deadly drugs from China and Mexico.

October 27, 2017
President Trump signs an executive order ending government subsidy payments to insurance companies under Obamacare, a program never approved by Congress, on Oct. 12, 2017. (Associated Press)

Federal judge denies Dem AG’s request to force Obamacare payments

A federal judge in California refused a request by Democratic attorneys general Wednesday to resume critical Obamacare payments, forcing the issue squarely into Congress's lap as GOP leaders and President Trump decide whether to back a bipartisan bill that approves the money for two more years.

October 25, 2017
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks during a "Here to Stay" rally at the Irish Famine Memorial in Boston, Thursday, July 6, 2017. Immigration activists and labor groups gathered in Boston in opposition to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Senate Democrats seek $45B in opioids funding

Senate Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday seeking $45 billion to combat the opioids epidemic, laying down their marker for new resources before President Trump outlines his strategy for coping with the crisis.

October 25, 2017
A study says opioids can be prescribed safely for five days to as long as two weeks for certain medical procedures. (Associated Press/File)

House GOP threatens to subpoena DEA for opioid data

House lawmakers threatened to subpoena the Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday, saying their patience is "wearing thin" as they seek information about who supplied millions of pain pills to hard-hit West Virginia.

October 25, 2017