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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

President Obama had enjoyed historically low increases averaging 3.7 percent a year during the first five years or his tenure, but spending rose 5.3 percent, to reach $3 trillion, in 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated. (Associated Press)

Obamacare prompts 5 percent increase in health spending

Health spending spiked by more than 5 percent last year as Obamacare took full effect, according to a new government analysis Wednesday that said the low-growth trend that had prevailed for most of President Obama's time in office changed as new prescription drugs came on the market and Americans started using more services.

December 2, 2015
President Obama speaks during a news conference at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Centre, in Paris, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. Obama discussed the COP21 climate change summit. (Associated Press)

White House says it will veto Obamacare repeal bill

The White House formally signaled President Obama's intent Wednesday to veto a Republican bill that would dismantle his signature health overhaul, saying Congress should work to promote the law instead of making a political statement ahead of the 2016 elections.

December 2, 2015
The Supreme Court (Associated Press) ** FILE **

1 in 10 large nonprofits has sought protection from HHS birth-control rules: survey

One in 10 large nonprofits has asked the administration to shield it from Obamacare's birth-control rules, according to a survey released Tuesday that says many of them are likely Catholic colleges or hospitals that would qualify for the "accommodation" at the heart of an upcoming fight before the Supreme Court.

December 1, 2015

Mitch McConnell: Obamacare repeal bill is near

Senate Republicans put themselves on track to pass a long-sought bill this week to dismantle Obamacare and strip funding from Planned Parenthood for one year, finalizing a measure Tuesday that will put a major repeal of the Affordable Care Act on President Obama's desk for the first time.

December 1, 2015
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell speaks in Washington on July 28, 2014. (Associated Press) **FILE**

HHS: 87K fewer deaths from hospital-related conditions in 2010-2014

An estimated 87,000 fewer patients died between 2010 from 2014 because of a marked reduction in infections and other conditions that can be acquired during hospital stays, according to an Obama administration report Tuesday that said the decrease saved $20 billion in health costs.

December 1, 2015
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican (Associated Press) **FILE**

Kevin McCarthy: Congress will avoid shutdown

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday he expects Congress to navigate a thorny debate over national security and abortion politics and strike a deal to keep federal operations moving past Dec. 11.

November 30, 2015
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. **FILE**

Obamacare waivers present dilemma for administration

President Obama faces a major decision on Obamacare over the next year as states begin to apply for waivers to the sweeping law, pressuring the administration to either welcome or resist experimentation with his top domestic achievement.

November 26, 2015
President Obama smiles during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the East Room at the White House on Nov. 24, 2015. (Associated Press)

About 1.6M have picked Obamacare plans so far: HHS

Roughly 1.6 million people have selected coverage on HealthCare.gov, the Obama administration said Wednesday in a snapshot of enrollment through the first three weeks of signups for the 2016 plan year.

November 25, 2015
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin walks to a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, as Republican lawmakers prepare to push legislation through the House erecting fresh hurdles for Syrian and Iraqi refugees trying to enter the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Conservatives urge GOP to hamstring Obamacare risk program

Over two dozen conservative groups asked GOP leaders Tuesday to make certain that a looming spending deal reins in a part of Obamacare designed to protect insurers during the overhaul's early -- and financially precarious -- rounds of enrollment.

November 24, 2015
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (Associated Press) **FILE**

Prescription drug abuse plagues U.S., stymies policymakers

More than half of all Americans say they or someone they know has abused prescription painkillers, according to a poll being released Tuesday that also found a significant share knew someone who died from opioid use.

November 24, 2015
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Congress should reverse its vote in June to wind down the National Security Agency's "metadata" phone program, which collects the numbers, times and durations of all Americans' phone calls. "We need to rebuild that program. We need to rebuild the morale of our intelligence," he said.

2016 Republicans pitch rejecting Syrians, NSA snooping, mosque surveillance to thwart terror

Republican presidential contenders outlined a series of strategies Sunday for thwarting terrorism — including dialing up U.S. snooping powers, repelling Syrian refugees and spying on U.S. mosques — even as the Homeland Security secretary said no credible threats of a Paris-style attack on U.S. soil exist and urged Congress instead to reform a visa waiver program that allows easy travel from Europe.

November 22, 2015
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggests that he may retreat from a pledge to support the party's nominee if he is not "treated fairly." (Associated Press)

Donald Trump leads Republican polls, debates terrorism, weakens party pledge

Flamboyant businessman Donald Trump basked Sunday in the glow of a poll that shows he is walloping his rivals in the Republican presidential field, elbowing his way into the anti-terrorism debate by proposing surveillance of certain mosques, condoning waterboarding and signaling that he is willing to retreat from a pledge he signed in September to forgo an independent run if he is not "treated fairly."

November 22, 2015
"I think it is the time to move on," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell told members of Enroll America, a nonprofit that drives customers into the Obamacare marketplace. (Associated Press)

Obama officials plug Obamacare successes

The administration, seeking to boost confidence in Obamacare after a top insurer said it might exit the program within two years, is highlighting health plans that say they're "doing fine" in the emerging marketplace.

November 22, 2015