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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

In this Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, photo, a laptop shows the HealthCare.com web site during an Affordable Care Act enrollment event at the Fort Worth Public Library in Fort Worth, Texas. For the second year in a row, millions of Americans have signed up for subsidized health insurance under President Barack Obama's law. But as the 2015 sign-up season draws to a close Sunday, the future of the Affordable Care Act remains in doubt. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Obamacare officials admit blunder: 800K got faulty tax info from federal website

Bowing to intense pressure, the Obama administration said Friday it will give uninsured Americans exposed to Obamacare's tax for lacking insurance a six-week grace period to enroll in coverage on HealthCare.gov and avoid heftier penalties next year, even though they missed last weekend's deadline to sign up.

February 20, 2015
FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2014 file photo, the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, is seen on a laptop screen in Portland, Ore. Droves of people signing up for health insurance this weekend may not realize it, but their coverage under President Barack Obama’s law could be short lived. The 2015 enrollment season, which ends Sunday, thus far has avoided last year’s website meltdown. But a Supreme Court case could result in millions of consumers losing financial assistance for their premiums later in the year. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

Vermont the 3rd state to offer relief for Obamacare penalty payers

Uninsured Vermonters who realize they must pay a special tax for lacking health insurance in 2014 can enroll in the state's health exchange even though they missed Obamacare's signup deadline, the state announced Thursday, making it the third state to extend relief to penalty payers.

February 19, 2015
In this Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, photo, a laptop shows the HealthCare.com web site during an Affordable Care Act enrollment event at the Fort Worth Public Library in Fort Worth, Texas. For the second year in a row, millions of Americans have signed up for subsidized health insurance under President Barack Obama's law. But as the 2015 sign-up season draws to a close Sunday, the future of the Affordable Care Act remains in doubt. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Obama admin takes victory lap over Obamacare figures after signup deadline

Obamacare is working and here to stay, the administration declared Wednesday in extolling last-minute activity that pushed signups to 11.4 million nationwide, including 8.6 million from the HealthCare.gov marketplace that serves 37 states and is under threat at the Supreme Court.

February 18, 2015
The Obama administration predicted this year that as many as 6 million Americans will pay a penalty on their 2014 taxes. (Associated Press)

Democrats urge Obama to give the uninsured more time to sign up, avoid Obamacare penalty

With the second Obamacare enrollment period in the books, congressional Democrats are already calling on the administration to give those who missed Sunday's deadline more time. They say it's unfair to expect health care consumers to have followed the law's coverage mandate because their first round of Obamacare taxes aren't due until April.

February 16, 2015
Illustration on legal flaws in Obamacare by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Obamacare deadline looms as affordable subsidies at risk in court

The administration is herding last-minute Obamacare shoppers into HealthCare.gov before Sunday's deadline to get insured, even as a looming Supreme Court decision could make that coverage unaffordable for many of them before the year's end.

February 12, 2015
Outgoing Ebola czar Ron Klain listens as President Barack Obama speaks about the Ebola outbreak response by the U.S. in West Africa, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in the South Court Auditorium of the White House complex in Washington. Obama plans to withdraw most US military troops fighting Ebola outbreak in West Africa. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Ron Klain, Ebola czar, stepping down: White House

President Obama said Thursday that his Ebola czar, Ron Klain, is planning to return to the private sector, signaling a further wind-down in the fight against the deadly virus that's killed over 9,000 in West Africa.

February 12, 2015
A woman is injected by a health care worker, left, as she takes part in an Ebola virus vaccine trial, at one of the largest hospital's Redemption hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, Monday, Feb. 2, 2015. A large-scale human trial of two potential Ebola vaccines got under way in Liberia's capital Monday, part of a global effort to prevent a repeat of the epidemic that has now claimed nearly 9,000 lives in West Africa. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)

Obama lauds U.S. troops, workers in fight against Ebola

President Obama on Wednesday praised U.S. troops and aid workers who entered Ebola's hot zone in West Africa as paragons of American leadership who've set the stage for victory over the deadly virus that's killed more than 9,000.

February 11, 2015
Sen. Christopher Murphy, Connecticut Democrat. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Congress shows bipartisan support for vaccinations

Congressional lawmakers said Tuesday that well-educated parents who refuse to immunize their children against measles and other diseases are eroding decades of medical progress in America, delivering a bipartisan show of unity after top Republican presidential contenders last week stumbled over the issue.

February 10, 2015
FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2014 file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell speaks in Miami. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas accused Burwell of being "contemptuous" of Congress on Wednesday by sidestepping about the Obama administration's preparations for a Supreme Court challenge to President Barack Obama's health care law. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

Obamacare subsidies cut premiums by average of 72 percent: HHS

Obamacare enrollees who qualify for subsidies on the federal exchange will see their monthly premiums drop by an average of 72 percent in 2015 due to the help from taxpayers, the Obama administration said Monday in a report that underscores the stakes of a health showdown before the Supreme Court this term.

February 9, 2015