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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, in Juneau, Alaska. Murkowski, a Republican and Alaska's senior U.S. senator, spoke to reporters after delivering her annual address to a joint session of the Alaska Legislature. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Lisa Murkowski won’t vote to scrap Medicaid expansion if Alaska wants it

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she will not vote to repeal Obamacare's expansion of Medicaid so long as state lawmakers in Alaska want to keep it, a bold stance that underscores the challenge before GOP leaders who want to dismantle the 2010 health law and phase out its vast expansion of government insurance for the poor.

February 23, 2017
Cleone Hermsen expresses her concern at a meeting with Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican. (Associated Press)

Anti-Obamacare ads aim to boost Republicans

Republican-aligned groups poured millions of dollars into ad campaigns Wednesday urging Congress to gut and replace Obamacare, hoping to remind voters why they disliked the health care law and to stiffen spines among wavering Republicans on Capitol Hill.

February 22, 2017
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) ** FILE **

Support for Obamacare repeal has dipped since Donald Trump took office: Poll

The share of voters who want Congress to fully or partially scrap Obamacare has dipped noticeably since January, according to a poll released Wednesday that finds zeal for repeal is waning even as President Trump and congressional Republicans craft plans to gut and replace the law with market-oriented reforms.

February 22, 2017
Sami Jamaleddine, left, signs up for health insurance offered under the Affordable Care Act with insurance agent Michael Khoury, right, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, in Miami. The enrollment period for the federal health care law known as "Obamacare" ends at the end of the day Tuesday. The Republican-lead Senate has passed a measure to take the first step forward on dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Humana latest insurer to exit Obamacare exchanges

Humana, a major health insurer, said Tuesday that it will pull out of the Obamacare marketplace after this year, delivering yet another blow to a program that was already on life support.

February 14, 2017
A huge Utah crowd greeted Rep. Jason Chaffetz with boos late Thursday, even as he touted his criticism of Kellyanne Conway, the White House adviser who may have flouted ethics rules by endorsing the fashion line of presidential daughter Ivanka Trump. (Associated Press)

Obamacare town halls used by liberals to fight repeal

Eight years after the tea party turned town hall meetings on Obamacare into hands-on melees, liberals furious with President Trump are flipping the script by shouting down Republicans who have struggled to outline better health care plans.

February 12, 2017