Tom Howell Jr.

David Jolly brings mosquitoes to House floor to highlight Zika

An easel and a chart or two just weren't good enough for Rep. David Jolly of Florida on Wednesday, who brought a jar of about 100 mosquitoes to the House floor on Wednesday to highlight the perils of the Zika virus in his home state.

September 7, 2016

HHS: Uninsured rate down to 8.6 percent, its lowest point

The nation's uninsured rate has fallen to its lowest point on record, the administration announced Wednesday, taking a victory lap on Obamacare just as the issue is heating up for voters.

September 7, 2016

Senate Democrats again block Republicans’ Zika plan, decry Planned Parenthood exclusion

Capitol Hill returned to its gridlocked ways without missing a beat Tuesday, as Senate Democrats renewed their filibuster of Zika-fighting money, and it became clear a seven-week summer vacation did nothing to cut through the paralysis in Congress.

September 6, 2016

GOP leaders pledge short-term deal to keep government open

Congress returned from a lengthy summer recess Tuesday tasked with averting a government shutdown by Oct. 1and busting a months-long stalemate on funding to combat the Zika virus.

September 6, 2016

Zephyr Teachout, New York House candidate, runs on Bernie Sanders’ grass roots

Zephyr Teachout, a liberal law professor, shocked political insiders when she swiped a third of the Democratic vote from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the 2014 primary, offering a preview of hard-left discontent that has bubbled over in this year's presidential race.

September 5, 2016

Kelly Ayotte’s ‘crossover appeal’ tested against headwinds of Donald Trump’s campaign

For years, Sen. Kelly Ayotte cast herself as a free-thinking voice for New Hampshire, chastising Republican firebrands who hurtled into the 2013 government shutdown without a clear escape plan while supporting conservative bids to defund Planned Parenthood over its abortion practice.

September 4, 2016

WHO: No Olympics-related Zika cases so far

There have been no confirmed reports of Zika infection among people who attended the Olympic Games, the World Health Organization said Friday, saying the good news to date justifies their decision not to interfere with the event in hard-hit Brazil.

September 2, 2016

Sylvia Mathews Burwell pushes Congress for more Zika funds after virus found in Florida mosquitoes

Mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been caught in Miami Beach — a first for the continental U.S., Florida officials said Thursday.

September 1, 2016

Florida finds Zika in trapped mosquitoes; 1st in U.S. mainland

Mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been caught in Miami Beach, Florida officials said Thursday. The discovery, while expected, is a first for the continental U.S.

September 1, 2016

Obama appoints seven to Puerto Rico oversight board

President Obama on Wednesday named seven people to a board set up by Congress to audit Puerto Rico's finances and rescue the U.S. territory from $72 billion in bond debt it cannot pay.

August 31, 2016

Sen. Rob Portman targets synthetic opioids in U.S. mail

Sen. Rob Portman on Wednesday said he will push legislation to crack down on synthetic opioids that are streaming into the U.S. through the postal system, as Ohio and surrounding states grapple with an unprecedented number of overdoses.

August 31, 2016

Mylan Pharmaceuticals, maker of EpiPen, fails to mollify Congress

The maker of EpiPen tried to cool Congress' ire over the skyrocketing cost of its life-saving injector by offering discounts and an in-house generic version, but lawmakers only appear to be turning up the heat.

August 30, 2016

Aetna, UnitedHealth pulling out of Obamacare, leaving customers with fewer options

Nearly a third of the country could have just a single company offering plans on their Obamacare exchange next year, according to an analysis this week that says the exodus of big players such as UnitedHealth and Aetna is denting the health law.

August 29, 2016

EpiPen price hikes spark outrage; lawmakers threaten increased regulation of drug companies

The cost of the EpiPen, a potentially lifesaving quick treatment for allergic reactions, has been rising steadily for nearly a decade -- but it turned into a political scandal only this month, as Washington rushed to blast the manufacturer as a heartless price-gouger.

August 25, 2016

EpiPen maker moves to lower cost of injector

The maker of the EpiPen said Thursday it will reduce the price of its life-saving injector for some customers, after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and lawmakers from both parties said people with severe allergies were being socked by exponential price hikes with no clear explanation.

August 25, 2016

Obamacare premiums expected to spike; taxpayer subsidies to help consumers foot bill

Obamacare's premiums will likely spike over the next year as health insurance companies grow more pessimistic about the law, the administration acknowledged Wednesday, but officials insisted consumers won't be stuck with the entire bill.

August 24, 2016

Clinton proposes emergency fund for unexpected outbreaks

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton jumped Wednesday into the funding debate over Zika virus by proposing a new public health fund to rapidly respond to outbreaks and other emergencies.

August 24, 2016

Baton Rouge flooding renews West Nile fears as Zika flusters Florida

Democrats are warning that Louisiana flooding has left pools of water perfect for spawning Zika-carrying mosquitoes, but experts on the ground say they're more concerned about an older foe: the West Nile virus.

August 23, 2016

Florida officials: New locally acquired Zika case near Tampa

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said his state is investigating a case of Zika virus in Pinellas County that isn't linked to travel, signaling the virus could be spreading by mosquito bite near Tampa in addition to a pair of hotspots around Miami, which is on the other side of the state.