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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this July 27, 2017, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, walks onstage as Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., center, points to him while Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., watches as they speak to reporters at the Capitol as the Republican-controlled Senate was unable to fulfill its political promise to repeal and replace "Obamacare" because of opposition and wavering within the GOP ranks. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Obamacare repeal try by GOP pushes for more state control of health

The Senate's last-gasp Obamacare repeal spans 140 pages -- a beach read compared to the mammoth law it would replace -- as Republicans rush to hand policy choices to the states, letting governors decide whether to mandate coverage, redefine "essential benefits" or tap fixed grants to combat the opioids epidemic.

September 24, 2017
FILE - In this July 27, 2017, file photo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. McCain says he won't vote for the Republican bill repealing the Obama health care law. His statement likely deals a fatal blow to the last-gasp GOP measure in a Senate showdown expected next week. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, file)

John McCain opposes last-ditch Obamacare repeal

Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Thursday he cannot support the GOP's last-ditch plan to replace Obamacare, likely dooming the effort and President Trump's pursuit of a major legislative victory.

September 22, 2017
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., joined by, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters as he pushes a last-ditch effort to uproot former President Barack Obama's health care law, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

New Obamacare repeal cuts $215B to states overall: Study

The Senate GOP's last-ditch Obamacare repeal plan would slash federal funding to the states by $215 billion through 2026, analysts said Wednesday in a study that finds less than a third of states would see an increase in funding compared to the current program.

September 20, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence delivered a pep talk to Senate Republicans and plotted strategy with Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the chief architects of the proposal to repeal Obamacare and send money to states in the form of block grants. (Associated Press)

Senate Republicans near Obamacare repeal

Senate Republicans scrambled for votes Tuesday on their last-ditch Obamacare repeal, with backers saying they are nearing the magic number to pass their bill before an end-of-month deadline.

September 19, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence delivered a pep talk to Senate Republicans and plotted strategy with Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the chief architects of the proposal to repeal Obamacare and send money to states in the form of block grants. (Associated Press)

White House, Senate GOP shift focus back onto Obamacare repeal

The White House and Senate GOP leaders on Tuesday praised a last-gasp bill to repeal Obamacare, signaling a shift from bipartisan efforts to stabilize the markets to a bill that would replace the 2010 law with block grants to the states.

September 19, 2017
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, protested the Republicans' Graham-Cassidy bill on Monday. Senate Republicans are revving up a final push to scuttle President Obama's health care law before the end of the month. (Associated Press)Though the effort faces low odds of success and just a two-week window to prevail, Democrats backed by doctors

Graham-Cassidy health care bill sets off clashes in Senate

Senators in both parties reignited the Obamacare repeal wars Monday, as Republicans claimed momentum for a last-chance repeal bill and Democrats told budget analysts to vet the legislation carefully, hoping to prolong a thorny debate before an end-of-month deadline.

September 18, 2017
Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, chairs a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on Steve King, a prominent GOP insider from Wisconsin, nominated to be ambassador to the Czech Republic, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 1, 2017. (Associated Press)

Ron Johnson schedules hearing on health care block grants

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has scheduled a Sept. 26 hearing on how states can reduce their health care costs through block grants, a move viewed as a table-setter for a potential vote on the last-gasp Obamacare repeal bill he is pushing with three fellow Republicans.

September 18, 2017
Republicans said the Congressional Budget Office made bad predictions about how Americans would have responded to legislation moving toward the repeal of Obamacare. (Associated Press/File)

Obamacare costs to rise faster than inflation, CBO projects

Obamacare premiums will rise an average of 5 percent a year over the next decade, much higher than the annual inflation rate, the government's chief scorekeeper predicted Thursday, saying that while the 2010 health care law is stable, the government will have to pump in more money per customer to keep it running.

September 14, 2017
This image provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows what the new Medicare cards will look like. The cards are getting a makeover to fight identity theft. No more Social Security numbers will be placed on the card. Next April, Medicare will begin mailing every beneficiary a new card with a unique new number to identify them. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services via AP)

Medicare to issue new cards in anti-fraud measure

Medicare enrollees will receive brand-new cards that replace their Social Security numbers with unique IDs, the Trump administration said Thursday, hoping to crack down on the type of identity theft and fraud that's soaking the federal insurance program.

September 14, 2017
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., center, joined by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., center left, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., center right, and supporters, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, to unveil their Medicare for All legislation to reform health care. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Bernie Sanders, Democrats introduce “Medicare for all” bill

Sen. Bernard Sanders released a long-awaited "Medicare for all" bill Wednesday that would give Americans a publicly funded insurance card, allowing them to see the doctor without paying anything out-of-pocket or shelling out premiums to private companies.

September 13, 2017