Tom Howell Jr.

Geography, awareness dictate uninsured rates in Obamacare era: study

Four out of every 10 uninsured Americans live in states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid under Obamacare and have incomes below the threshold for gaining the state-federal health benefits under President Obama's reforms.

July 29, 2014

Elijah Cummings presses GOP governors on Medicaid expansion decisions

Rep. Elijah Cummings wants to know why some Republican governors have expanded Medicaid while others remain adamantly opposed to the key pillar of Obamacare.

July 29, 2014

Appeals court upholds Obamacare tax as constitutional

A key appeals court on Tuesday ruled that despite including a tax, Obamacare doesn't violate the Constitution's requirement that all tax bills originate in the House of Representatives, giving the Obama administration another health care win.

July 29, 2014

New Englander Scott Brown turns his gaze to the U.S. border crisis

New Hampshire may be a long way from the southern U.S. border, but Senate candidate Scott Brown is using the immigration crisis to take on President Obama and his Democratic opponent, Jeanne Shaheen, on the campaign trail.

July 29, 2014

Putin a ‘megalomaniac’ who must be challenged with force: Sen. Johnson

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "megalomaniac" who will forge ahead in eastern Ukraine unless the U.S. and others stand up to him with actual force, because economic sanctions are simply not enough, Sen. Ron Johnson said Tuesday.

July 29, 2014

Sen. Joe Manchin sued by his brother over old loan: report

Sen. Joe Manchin was sued by his brother this month in connection with a decades-old $1.7 million loan aimed at keeping a family business out of bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal said.

July 29, 2014

New Mexico decides to use HealthCare.gov for 2015

New Mexico has decided to use the federal HealthCare.gov website for another year instead of shifting to its own platform to enroll people in Obamacare plans, a new report said.

July 29, 2014

HHS: ‘Donut hole’ reforms saved Medicare enrollees $11.5 billion since 2010

Hoping to spread good news about Medicare into a second day, the Obama administration said Tuesday that seniors and the disabled have saved $11.5 billion on prescriptions since the health care law passed in 2010.

July 29, 2014

Medicare trust fund to last 4 years longer: Obama administration

Slowing health costs will keep the Medicare trust fund from going broke until 2030, or four year later than last year's projections, the Obama administration said Monday.

July 28, 2014

ACLU: Unprecedented U.S. spying has chilling effect on reporters and sources, weakens accountability

U.S. spying programs are making government sources too skittish to divulge sensitive information to reporters, especially on computer-based technology, making it difficult for journalists to hold powerful entities to account, according to a 120-page report released Monday.

July 28, 2014

Rep. Mike Rogers: Lock Israel-Palestine negotiators in a room

Rep. Mike Rogers on Monday said peace negotiators need to be locked in a room to "sit down and try to work out the issues" before the conflict between Israel and extremist Palestinian fighters from Hamas deepens with more bloodshed.

July 28, 2014

Conservative group warns Va. Gov. Terry McAuliffe not to go it alone on Medicaid expansion

A conservative group unveiled a television ad Monday that warns Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to think twice before expanding Medicaid without legislative approval.

July 28, 2014

Number-crunchers put GOP chances of retaking Senate at 60 percent: report

Republicans have a 60 percent chance of taking control of the Senate in mid-term elections this November, up from 54 percent in April, according to number-crunchers at The New York Times.

July 28, 2014

Fla. voters’ support for medical marijuana bodes well for ballot measure: poll

Florida voters overwhelmingly support legalizing medical marijuana, 88 to 10 percent, while a smaller margin says adults should be allowed to possess a bit of the drug for personal use, according to a new poll.

July 28, 2014

Very religious still lean toward GOP, reflecting long-term patterns, Gallup poll shows

Religious and party identity remain linked, with very religious Americans much more likely to identify with the Republican Party than the Democratic side, a Gallup poll said.

July 28, 2014

States confident on Obamacare subsidies despite rulings of courts

States shifting to the federal Obamacare Web platform this year — and those trying to get away from it — are confident their consumers can get government subsidies to help them pay for health coverage, even if the courts uphold a ruling that restricts the tax credits to insurance exchanges established by a state.

July 27, 2014

House panel OKs resolution to sue president for Obamacare delays

The Republican-led House is set to take up a measure next week that authorizes Speaker John A. Boehner to sue President Obama over how he implemented parts of Obamacare, adding to the many legal squabbles that surround the health care overhaul this summer.

July 24, 2014

Insurers cough up refunds to subscribers under Obamacare ‘80-20 rule’

Obamacare's foes and supporters offered competing views Wednesday of how the law is affecting the average American's pocketbook, with Republicans saying the program plays fast and loose with taxpayer dollars while the Obama administration boasted the law has saved consumers billions.

July 23, 2014

New Democratic caucus will pressure GOP governors to expand Medicaid

Nearly three dozen Democrats have forged a congressional caucus to call on Republican-led states to expand Medicaid under President Obama's health care law.

July 23, 2014

GOP outraged Obamacare investigators able to get coverage with fake IDs

Republican lawmakers said Wednesday their suspicions about Obamacare's anti-fraud measures have been validated and it is "egregious" that 11 out of 12 government investigators were able to get subsidized Obamacare over the phone.

July 23, 2014