Tom Howell Jr.

Governors to Congress: Strike a deal on Zika funding now

The nation's governors urged Congress Monday to strike a deal on federal funding to combat the Zika virus, saying Capitol Hill must act before the mosquito-borne virus can reach a "tipping point" that leads to a rapid rate of infection in their states.

May 9, 2016

Obama admin: Help us design a medical bill people can understand

The Obama administration challenged health care groups, web developers and other innovators Monday to design a medical bill that patients can actually read and understand, saying a patchwork of content and jargon is overwhelming Americans who just want to know what they owe and why.

May 9, 2016

Obamacare’s expected double-digit rate increases boost Republicans’ repeal efforts

Insurers are preparing for Obamacare customers double-digit rate increases to be announced in coming months, handing Republicans a key talking point as they try to persuade voters to accept a repeal of the 2010 health care law.

May 8, 2016

Zika fears fuel demand for bug spray as mosquito season looms

Factories are churning out bug spray around the clock as fears of the mosquito-borne Zika virus take hold. Demand has tripled in Brazil, where the virus is already entrenched, and has doubled in the U.S., even though no mosquito-transmitted cases have been recorded in the country.

May 5, 2016

FDA brings e-cigarettes under federal authority, bans sale to minors

Retailers can no longer sell electronic cigarettes to people under age 18, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday as part of highly anticipated regulations that will rein in the burgeoning industry, stirring up new controversy over the devices.

May 5, 2016

Fla. Gov. Rick Scott to Congress: Treat Zika threat ‘like a hurricane’

Florida Gov. Rick Scott urged Congress Wednesday to brush partisanship aside and treat the looming Zika virus "like a hurricane," saying his state is depending on resources and specific planning to gird for the mosquito-borne illness linked to serious birth defects and other health problems.

May 4, 2016

Democrats draw straight line between Puerto Rico debt and Zika virus scare

Congressional Democrats pressured GOP leaders to act on two contentious fronts Wednesday, explicitly tying Puerto Rico's debt crisis to the island's ability to respond to the Zika virus that has infected nearly 600 residents and even caused one man's death.

May 4, 2016

Obamacare customers overpaid $8M by IRS

The IRS mistakenly overpaid more than $8 million to HealthCare.gov customers and Obamacare users in California, and cheated tens of thousands of others out of nearly $2 million in 2015 because the government relied on incorrect information to figure their taxes, an audit revealed Tuesday.

May 3, 2016

Congress must do more to fight opioid crisis: poll

Nearly half of Americans say they know someone who's faced addiction to prescription painkillers, and more than 60 percent say the government needs to do more to stop the epidemic of painkiller and heroin abuse that's sweeping the country.

May 3, 2016

FDA aims anti-smoking campaign at LGBT community, says ‘coming out’ can be trigger

The Food and Drug Administration launched an anti-smoking campaign Monday aimed at the gay and transgender community, saying young adults in this groups are nearly twice as likely than others to use tobacco.

May 2, 2016

Senate Dems block spending bill over Iran ‘poison pill’

Senate Democrats blocked the first of a dozen spending bills from advancing Thursday, mounting their second filibuster in as many days in protest of a GOP bid to disrupt President Obama's effort to bolster his nuclear deal with Iran.

April 28, 2016

Sen. John Cornyn: Dems want a ‘blank check’ for Zika

Senate Democrats are seeking a "blank check" to combat the Zika virus, a top Republican charged Thursday, as lawmakers prepared to skip town for a week without settling their quarrel over President Obama's request for nearly $2 billion to resist the mosquito-borne disease.

April 28, 2016

J. Michael Pearson, Valeant CEO, tells Congress company acquired drugs, hiked prices

The departing CEO of Valeant Pharmaceuticals told Congress Wednesday his company was too "aggressive" in pursuing drastic price hikes for products it acquired from other drug makers, though his mea culpa did little to assuage lawmakers who said he put Wall Street's expectations over seriously ill patients.

April 27, 2016

House conservatives: Zika fight must be paid for

If President Obama needs more money to fight the Zika virus, he will have to find it by cutting elsewhere in the federal budget, House conservatives said Wednesday, laying down a marker as Congress increasingly clashes with the administration over spending requests.

April 27, 2016

Cynthia Lummis to Trump: Use VP pick to balance out personality

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump should choose a running mate who is serious-minded and understands Congress, a Wyoming congresswoman said Wednesday, arguing the vice president slot would be the ideal place to temper his outsized personality.

April 27, 2016

Harry Reid: Senate must act this week on Zika virus funding

Congressional GOP leaders said they are still searching for the "right number" in a standoff over funding to combat Zika, brushing aside withering criticism Tuesday from the White House and Senate Democrats who accused Republicans of dithering in the face of a major health crisis.

April 26, 2016

Zika funding to be put on deficit by Democrats as GOP says no to new spending

House Democrats threw down their marker Monday in the fight over how much money is needed to fight the Zika virus, writing legislation that would fund all of President Obama's $1.9 billion request and tacking it all onto the deficit.

April 25, 2016

HHS chief to address Zika in Puerto Rico

President Obama's top health official will visit Puerto Rico this week to get a firsthand look at how the island is combating the Zika virus, a trip that coincides with Senate efforts to partially fund President Obama $1.9 billion request for emergency funding to stave off the mosquito-borne illness.

April 25, 2016

Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing proposes ways to cut rising drug costs

A diverse coalition of seniors, health plans and private companies proposed a series of steps Monday to tamp down the cost of prescription drugs, from speeding the approval of generics to publicly reporting notable price hikes.

April 25, 2016

Zika spending fight: Republicans seek budget offsets; Democrats push emergency deficit funds

Conservatives are spoiling for an election-year spending fight, saying if President Obama wants any of the nearly $2 billion he has requested to fight Zika, the budget will have to be cut elsewhere.

April 24, 2016