Tom Howell Jr.

Republicans proposing vote on Obamacare alternative

Republicans have vowed to be ready with a replacement for Obamacare if the Supreme Court pokes a hole in the signature law later this summer, and will vote in the House Tuesday to both repeal the law and to give themselves a mandate to find the replacement.

February 2, 2015

CDC director: Vaccinate your kids against measles, there’s nothing to fear

The nation's top disease fighter pleaded Monday with Americans to vaccinate their children against measles for their own sake and that of others, a response to the outbreak that's been linked to the Disneyland theme park and anti-vaccine movements in some communities.

February 2, 2015

Orrin Hatch op-ed being used to defend Obamacare in Supreme Court case

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch wants to see the Supreme Court strike a blow at Obamacare this year — but the Utah Republican's own words are being used by the Obama administration in that court case to defend the law.

January 29, 2015

Republicans to open February with vote to repeal Obamacare

House Republicans will kick off February with a vote to repeal Obamacare, providing new members the chance to put their opposition on the record as the party chips away at the overhaul and devises some reforms of its own.

January 29, 2015

Obamacare signups hit 9.5 million with month still left to go

About 9.5 million Americans selected Obamacare plans with a month to spare before the Feb. 15 deadline to sign up, meaning the Obama administration likely will far exceed its modest enrollment goals for the law's health exchanges in 2015.

January 27, 2015

Obamacare subsidies: Chronic disease fighters tell Supreme Court not to strike down help to states

The American Cancer Society and other anti-disease groups told the Supreme Court Tuesday there is no evidence that Congress wanted to limit Obamacare's subsidies to states with their own health exchanges.

January 27, 2015

Mike Pence: Obama admin. has approved Indiana’s Medicaid plan

The Obama administration has approved Indiana's twist on Medicaid expansion, Gov. Mike Pence announced Tuesday, casting the reforms as a consumer-driven overhaul to insure up to 350,000 low-income Hoosiers while distancing himself from Obamacare.

January 27, 2015

HHS outlines shift away from Medicare fee-for-service model

The Obama administration on Monday set a timeline for historic changes in how it compensates doctors, hospitals and other providers under Medicare, shifting from line-item payments for every service rendered to a system that rewards quality.

January 26, 2015

GOP leaders use ‘60 Minutes’ spotlight to ding Obamacare, but alternative remains elusive

Leaders of the new Republican-majority Congress struggled to outline a GOP replacement to Obamacare late Sunday, even as they vowed to hold repeal votes and bemoaned President Obama's veto power through 2016.

January 26, 2015

Yemen coup shows Obama lacks Middle East terror strategy, critics say

The Yemeni government's fall to Iran-backed Shiite militants last week is only the latest sign that Tehran is "on the march" and that President Obama needs a battle plan to rout extremists across the Middle East, the administration's critics charged Sunday.

January 25, 2015

Mike Huckabee inches closer to presidential run

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says he won't decide on a presidential bid until spring. But he basically threw his hat in the ring Sunday, shoring up his opposition to Common Core education standards and walking a fine line on immigration as the GOP primary season heats up.

January 25, 2015

Congressional veterans: ‘American Sniper’ a realistic portrait of sacrifice, war’s toll

Air Force veteran and congressman Adam Kinzinger said Sunday that "American Sniper," the Oscar-nominated film that's packed theaters while reigniting the nation's culture wars, is the most authentic depiction of the Iraq conflict that he's seen.

January 25, 2015

John McCain: Iran ‘on the march’

Sen. John McCain said Sunday that Iran is "on the march" and that President Obama lacks a strategy to deal with the Islamic republic, ratcheting up a tense standoff between congressional Republicans and the White House.

January 25, 2015

Denis McDonough calls Netanyahu invite a mistake

The White House sought the high ground Sunday in objecting to House Republicans' decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without President Obama's blessing, saying it is foolhardy to disrupt negotiations with Iran as the Islamic Republic seeks a nuclear weapon.

January 25, 2015

Bobby Jindal says states must be free to decide gay marriage question

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Republican leader of one of 14 states that do not perform same-sex marriage, said Sunday he'll defend the right of states to define marriage as they see fit.

January 25, 2015

Obama: U.S. can’t play ‘whack-a-mole’ by sending troops to Yemen

President Obama held out hope Sunday for a political solution to the burgeoning crisis in Yemen, where Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels have overrun the capital of Sanaa and upset U.S. operations against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a particularly dangerous wing of the Sunni terrorist group.

January 25, 2015

Denis McDonough repeats U.S. refusal to negotiate hostages with Islamic State

The U.S. will not pay ransoms or swap prisoners to satisfy the Islamic State and spring hostages from their grip in Iraq and Syria, President Obama's chief of staff said Sunday, as Japan mourned the apparent beheading of one of its citizens at the hands of the terrorist group.

January 25, 2015