Tom Howell Jr.

New service launched to track Obamacare subsidies

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Consumer Reports said Monday they've teamed up to create a website that helps people find out if they qualify for financial assistance when they choose a health plan on one of Obamacare's web-based markets.

February 24, 2014

Obamacare medical device tax led to loss of 33,000 jobs, report says

A new survey says Obamacare's tax on medical device manufacturers forced companies to lay off or avoid hiring 33,000 workers last year — adding another arrow to the GOP's quiver as Republicans aim to portray the health care law as a job-killing program.

February 23, 2014

GOP lawmakers, trade groups rail against proposed Medicare Advantage cuts

Republican lawmakers cried foul Friday night over an Obama administration proposal to cut payment rates to private insurers who administer Medicare Advantage, a popular alternative to the government-run health program for seniors.

February 22, 2014

Public sector slashes part-timers’ hours ahead of Obamacare mandates

Local governments, community colleges and other public employers are cutting work hours among part-time employees to prepare for coming mandates under Obamacare, according to the New York Times.

February 21, 2014

Flu season hit young adults especially hard this year: CDC

This year's flu season is hitting young and middle-aged adults particularly hard, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

February 21, 2014

N.J. to forfeit $7.6M in Obamacare funds after Christie fails to submit plan

New Jersey will likely lose a $7.6 million Obamacare grant from the federal government after it failed to submit a plan by Thursday's deadline on how it would use the money, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

February 21, 2014

Industry survey says Obamacare’s medical device tax is killing thousands of jobs

A new survey says Obamacare's tax on medical device manufacturers has cost the industry about 33,000 jobs.

February 21, 2014

Hillary Clinton enjoys high favorability ratings, better than Joe Biden’s, poll shows

A majority of Americans view Hillary Clinton favorably a year after she left her post as secretary of state, although her rating is 5 points lower than it was when she served in President Obama's cabinet, Gallup said.

February 21, 2014

Adelina Sotnikova’s home-cooked Olympics win over Yuna Kim prompts change.org petition

More than 1.5. million people have signed a petition on Change.org that demands an investigation into the ladies figure skating competition at the Olympic Games in Sochi.

February 21, 2014

Feds: Medicaid fraud reached ‘epidemic levels’ in D.C. region

Federal prosecutors said Medicaid fraud has reached “epidemic levels” in the nation’s capital, as they announced charges Thursday against 25 people accused of making claims based on fake symptoms and personal home care that was never performed.

February 20, 2014

More than 12,000 Capitol Hill lawmakers, aides sign up for Obamacare in D.C.

A provision of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires members of Congress and their official staff to obtain health insurance from state-based exchanges tied to the law, although some have found a way around the provision.

February 20, 2014

Sen. Rob Portman: Congress should tread lightly on minimum wage hike

Republican Sen. Rob Portman said Thursday that lawmakers should tread warily in sizing up a Democrat-led proposal to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, citing economic conditions and a new report that says the hike could kill a half-million jobs.

February 20, 2014

Biden: Obamacare off to ‘hell of a start’ despite problems

Vice President Joseph Biden used a quick stop in Minneapolis to tout the rollout of Obamacare, even as he acknowledged that sign-ups could fall short of goals.

February 20, 2014

More than half of Americans view China unfavorably, poll shows

More than half of surveyed Americans view China — the nation's chief "strategic and economic rival" for years to come — in an unfavorable light, a Gallup poll said.

February 20, 2014

Ted Cruz beats back criticism, defends his debt-limit moves

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz says he has no regrets about opposing a Senate plan to extend the nation's debt limit this month, saying party leaders should have held firm against the measure instead of green-lighting it so they could later claim they voted against it during the final vote.

February 20, 2014