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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. **FILE**

Obamacare waivers present dilemma for administration

President Obama faces a major decision on Obamacare over the next year as states begin to apply for waivers to the sweeping law, pressuring the administration to either welcome or resist experimentation with his top domestic achievement.

November 26, 2015
President Obama smiles during a Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the East Room at the White House on Nov. 24, 2015. (Associated Press)

About 1.6M have picked Obamacare plans so far: HHS

Roughly 1.6 million people have selected coverage on HealthCare.gov, the Obama administration said Wednesday in a snapshot of enrollment through the first three weeks of signups for the 2016 plan year.

November 25, 2015
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin walks to a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, as Republican lawmakers prepare to push legislation through the House erecting fresh hurdles for Syrian and Iraqi refugees trying to enter the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Conservatives urge GOP to hamstring Obamacare risk program

Over two dozen conservative groups asked GOP leaders Tuesday to make certain that a looming spending deal reins in a part of Obamacare designed to protect insurers during the overhaul's early -- and financially precarious -- rounds of enrollment.

November 24, 2015
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (Associated Press) **FILE**

Prescription drug abuse plagues U.S., stymies policymakers

More than half of all Americans say they or someone they know has abused prescription painkillers, according to a poll being released Tuesday that also found a significant share knew someone who died from opioid use.

November 24, 2015
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Congress should reverse its vote in June to wind down the National Security Agency's "metadata" phone program, which collects the numbers, times and durations of all Americans' phone calls. "We need to rebuild that program. We need to rebuild the morale of our intelligence," he said.

2016 Republicans pitch rejecting Syrians, NSA snooping, mosque surveillance to thwart terror

Republican presidential contenders outlined a series of strategies Sunday for thwarting terrorism — including dialing up U.S. snooping powers, repelling Syrian refugees and spying on U.S. mosques — even as the Homeland Security secretary said no credible threats of a Paris-style attack on U.S. soil exist and urged Congress instead to reform a visa waiver program that allows easy travel from Europe.

November 22, 2015
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggests that he may retreat from a pledge to support the party's nominee if he is not "treated fairly." (Associated Press)

Donald Trump leads Republican polls, debates terrorism, weakens party pledge

Flamboyant businessman Donald Trump basked Sunday in the glow of a poll that shows he is walloping his rivals in the Republican presidential field, elbowing his way into the anti-terrorism debate by proposing surveillance of certain mosques, condoning waterboarding and signaling that he is willing to retreat from a pledge he signed in September to forgo an independent run if he is not "treated fairly."

November 22, 2015
"I think it is the time to move on," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell told members of Enroll America, a nonprofit that drives customers into the Obamacare marketplace. (Associated Press)

Obama officials plug Obamacare successes

The administration, seeking to boost confidence in Obamacare after a top insurer said it might exit the program within two years, is highlighting health plans that say they're "doing fine" in the emerging marketplace.

November 22, 2015
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., speaks after a press conference at a Planned Parenthood office in Portland, Ore., Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. Wyden's support of Planned Parenthood comes amid a heated debate among Oregon politicians over how Planned Parenthood uses the $3.6 million it gets from Oregon.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Ron Wyden checks in on Obamacare innovation program

A leading Democratic senator asked the administration Thursday to update him on its efforts to implement a piece of Obamacare that allows states to waive parts of the law in 2017 if they find ways to outdo the federal health law in terms of the affordability and quality of coverage and how many people get insured.

November 19, 2015
FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2015, file photo, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is displayed on a laptop screen in Washington. A study out Wednesday finds that this year's most popular health law plans are raising premiums an average of 15 percent in 2016. You'll have to switch if you don't want to pay more. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

More than 1M have selected plans on Obamacare website

More than 1 million people selected health coverage on the federal Obamacare website through the second week of open enrollment, the administration said Wednesday in a snapshot that shows the number of plan selections nearly doubling since the first week's tally.

November 18, 2015
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania Republican, takes his seat on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 2, 2015. (Associated Press) **FILE**

House, Senate negotiators set to work on highway bill

House and Senate negotiators sat down Wednesday and pledged to hammer out their first multi-year highway bill in a decade, saying stopgap measures are failing motorists and businesses who contend with America's crumbling roads and infrastructure.

November 18, 2015