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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Then-Nebraska state Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln speaks in favor of Medicaid expansion during debate in the Legislative Chamber in Lincoln, Neb., Wednesday, April 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) ** FILE **

Nebraska coalition submits Medicaid-expansion petitions

A Nebraska coalition said Thursday it submitted more than enough signatures to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in November, making it the latest GOP-led state to seek a way around governors and legislators who oppose Obamacare.

July 5, 2018
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the National Sheriffs' Association convention in New Orleans, Monday, June 18, 2018, in this file photo. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) **FILE**

DOJ announces biggest health-fraud takedown ‘in history’

Federal agents carried out the biggest health care fraud takedown "in history" on Thursday, the Department of Justice said, charging more than 600 people across the country with bilking taxpayers for $2 billion through fake medical claims and prescriptions for unneeded opioids.

June 28, 2018
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on 'Policy Response to Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Elections' on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Susan Collins to Jeff Sessions: ‘Reconsider’ stance on Obamacare suit

Sen. Susan Collins implored Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday to reconsider his hands-off approach to a lawsuit that seeks to gut Obamacare, saying nearly half of her state suffers from a pre-existing medical condition and would be at risk if the challenge strikes protections within the 2010 law.

June 27, 2018
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma speaks to reporters Thursday, March 29, 2018, during a visit to the Center for Medical Interoperability in Nashville. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Senate panel: CMS must detail its Medicaid anti-fraud campaign

A Senate panel scrutinizing Medicaid overpayments says the administration's push to audit states more closely is good news but that it needs to hear more from Seema Verma, who oversees the program but did not testify alongside government watchdogs on Wednesday.

June 27, 2018
In this Thursday, May 3, 2018, photo, U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-California, poses for a picture in the Venice community of Los Angeles. Members of the Asian-American community are running for federal office from all corners of the country, dozens of them as Democratic candidates deliberately playing up their Asian roots in opposition to a president they say demonizes the immigrants that make America great. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Ted Lieu plays tape of crying children from House floor

Rep. Ted Lieu of California violated House rules Friday by playing a recording of crying children who were separated from their parents at the border, ignoring a presiding officer who implored him to stop.

June 22, 2018
This Feb. 19, 2013, file photo shows OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

House passes sweeping opioids bill

The House passed a massive opioid bill Friday to expand treatment options, block the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. and reduce the number of addictive pills in circulation -- an unusual display of bipartisanship in a bitter election year, even as Democrats grumbled that GOP leaders still aren't doing enough.

June 22, 2018
"Democrats have taken a walk on this thing," said House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican. (Associated Press)

House Republicans cancel immigration votes

Staring at a certain defeat, House Republicans canceled votes on their immigration compromise Thursday -- an embarrassing setback for leaders who'd thought they'd finally been able to wrangle some unanimity on an issue that's bedeviled them for years.

June 21, 2018
Shoes and a teddy bear, brought by a group of U.S. mayors, are piled up outside a holding facility for immigrant children in Tornillo, Texas, near the Mexican border, Thursday, June 21, 2018.  Mayors from more than a dozen U.S. cities including New York and Los Angeles gathered near the holding facility to call for the immediate reunification of immigrant children with their families.  (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

Separated children may develop ‘toxic stress,’ say health experts

Children separated from their parents at the U.S. border can suffer from "toxic stress" that leads to brain damage and problems later in life, mental health experts said Thursday, warning of depression and anger, learning disorders and the inability to accept love.

June 21, 2018
FILE - In this May 16, 2013, file photo, House Transportation and Infrastructure Full Committee member Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. The debate over the effectiveness of self-imposed term limits arose again when Mullin appeared noncommittal about leaving Congress in 2018 despite a pledge to serve only serve six years. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

House passes bill to make patient history of drug use more accessible

The House passed bills Wednesday that combat the opioid crisis by making it easier for a doctor to find out if a patient has a history of drug abuse and expanding the number of places where states can send addicted patients and get Medicaid dollars to pay for it.

June 20, 2018
FILE - In this Oct. 12, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order on health care in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington.  Striving to fulfill a campaign promise, the Trump administration Thursday proposed regulations to facilitate interstate sale of health insurance policies that cost less but may not cover as much. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

NY, Mass. AGs sue over Trump’s Obamacare end-run for small business

Two blue states said Wednesday they will sue the Trump administration over its decision to get around Obamacare by letting small employers and self-employed people pool together and buy health plans that are cheaper and cover fewer benefits than what the 2010 law dictates.

June 20, 2018