Tom Howell Jr.

More than half of U.S. veterans have trouble accessing VA care, poll shows

More than half of U.S. military veterans say it is either "very" or "somewhat" difficult to access care at Veterans Affairs medical centers.

July 2, 2014

Tap the keg! Census says beer industry is thriving

The number of U.S. breweries more than doubled between 2007 and 2012, according to Census data released Tuesday that shows the beer business is booming.

July 1, 2014

Democrats eye Hobby Lobby defeat as a weapon on the campaign trail

Democrats are hoping to turn a high-profile Obamacare loss before the Supreme Court into a political win ahead of November midterms, urging donors and women voters to help them reverse the decision to let closely held corporations duck a White House mandate to cover birth control as part of company health plans.

July 1, 2014

IG: Obamacare markets foul up eligibility and verification parts of applications

Republican lawmakers on Tuesday seized on audits that suggest Obamacare's new health exchanges are ill-equipped to verify applicants' identities and eligibility for government subsidies — findings that breathe new life into fears the Web-based program is not secure and cannot function properly.

July 1, 2014

Conservatives to Obama White House: Pay for contraceptives yourself

Conservatives took a victory lap Tuesday, celebrating a Supreme Court decision one day prior that called on the Obama administration to find ways to insure birth control without forcing closely held corporations to do it in their health plans.

July 1, 2014

Medical review: Yes, childhood vaccines are safe

A published review of 20,000 scientific studies on childhood vaccines concludes they are safe — period — and should be obtained to prevent deadly diseases.

July 1, 2014

Party and religion are key to how women feel about Hobby Lobby decision: report

Women do not want companies to shirk coverage of contraceptives by a margin of 59 percent to 35 percent, yet their views on the issue differ by party, ideology and religion, a top health policy expert said.

July 1, 2014

Rep. Luis Gutierrez: Republicans risk national irrelevance unless they move on immigration

A small contingent of Republicans are letting intraparty threats and parochial viewpoints hold up immigration reform and damage their national brand, Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez said Tuesday.

July 1, 2014

Active-duty military and veterans are less stressed than civilians, poll shows

The inside scoop on why members of the U.S. military are more "emotionally resilient" than their civilian counterparts.

July 1, 2014

Supreme Court decides Hobby Lobby birth-control dispute

The Supreme Court has decided whether employers with religious objections can refuse to pay for contraception.

June 30, 2014

Toronto’s Rob Ford returns to work ‘a new man’

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will return to work Monday as "a new man" — at least according to his brother-turned campaign manager — after a two-month break to deal with lifestyle issues that rocketed him to fame for all the wrong reasons.

June 30, 2014

Paperwork issues at N.Y. offices reveal more bad news for VA

Staff at Veterans' Affairs offices in New York failed to accurately process nearly a third of disability claims examined by the department's Inspector General, a report that casts an even hotter spotlight on problems at the VA.

June 30, 2014

New NSA director says Snowden leaks are manageable: report

The new director of the National Security Agency says the damage done by famed leaker Edward Snowden is manageable and does not lead him to think the "sky is falling," even if some terrorist groups have tweaked their communication strategies, The New York Times said.

June 30, 2014

Americans trust three branches of government less and less, poll says

Americans' confidence in all three branches of U.S. government is falling, hitting record lows for the Supreme Court, at 30 percent, and Congress, at 7 percent, while the presidency is at a six-year low of 29 percent.

June 30, 2014

Rep. Sam Graves: I still want those small-business Obamacare numbers

A Missouri congressman said Friday he is fed up with the Obama administration for failing to provide him with enrollment numbers for Obamacare's small-business exchanges.

June 27, 2014

FDA: Public blood-pressure kiosks don’t always measure up

Size matters, the Food and Drug Administration says, at least when it comes to mechanized cuffs at those ubiquitous blood-pressure kiosks.

June 27, 2014

Administration: Renewing Obamacare easier than enrolling

The Obama administration said Thursday most Obamacare federal exchange customers will be able to easily re-enroll in their current plans at the end of this year, offering a convenience that they hope will help head off the kinds of disruptions that plagued the overhaul's initial rollout late last year.

June 26, 2014

Many Obamacare customers may need to switch plans to avoid ‘substantial’ hikes: study

A new analysis finds Obamacare customers who received government subsidies to reduce the cost of health coverage will face "substantial" premium increases unless they switch plans in 2015.

June 26, 2014

Obamacare mired by lawsuits challenging fundamentals

The Supreme Court will rule sometime before the end of this month on the Obama administration's contraceptive mandate, but bigger challenges to Obamacare are still winding their way through the courts.

June 25, 2014

Government: Anti-fraud measures claw back millions in Medicare payments

The Obama administration said Wednesday its "state-of-the-art" anti-fraud systems prevented more than $210 million in improper Medicare payments in fiscal 2013, its second year in use and twice the amount it saved in the inaugural year.

June 25, 2014