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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

FILE - In this Nov. 5, 2013, file photo, Medicare chief Marilyn Tavenner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The Obama administration has concluded it will not publicly disclose federal records that could shed light on the security of the government's signature health care website because doing so could "potentially" allow hackers to break in. Last year, the AP found that Tavenner took the unusual step of signing the operational security certificate for HealthCare.gov herself _ even as her agency’s security professionals balked. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Health spending rose 3.6 percent in 2013

Health spending grew by 3.6 percent last year, the lowest mark recorded in the last half-century as modest growth tracks with an economy that's still recovering from the recession, the Obama administration said Wednesday.

December 3, 2014
FILE - This Nov. 12, 2014 file photo shows the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, on a laptop screen, shown in Portland, Ore. Consumers in most places will see their health insurance premiums go up next year for popular plans under President Barack Obama’s health care law. But it will take time to get to a bottom line for family finances, let alone the larger political battle over the program’s future. For many people, government subsidies will cushion the hit. And there’s a new factor: returning customers who are savvy about health insurance and unafraid to shop for a better deal. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Obamacare enrollment at 765K after Week 2

About 765,000 people have chosen a private health plan on the federal Obamacare marketplace since year-two enrollment began on Nov. 15, the Obama administration reported Wednesday.

December 3, 2014
The John J. Pershing Memorial in Pershing Park, located in downtown Washington, D.C., is seen here. (Wikipedia)

Defense bill authorizes WWI memorial at park near White House

A national defense bill released late Tuesday designated Pershing Park in downtown Washington as a national World War I memorial, putting an official stamp on the contentious debate over how and where to recognize the Great War and put it on par with other 20th century conflicts memorialized in the capital.

December 3, 2014
President Barack Obama speaks at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014 in Bethesda, Md. Obama visited NIH to highlight advances in research for an Ebola vaccine and push Congress to approve his request for $6.2 billion to fight the disease and prevent its spread in the U.S. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Obama presses Congress to approve Ebola funding request

President Obama on Tuesday hailed U.S. efforts to develop a vaccine for Ebola and pleaded with Congress to pass his $6.2 billion request to combat the virus at home and abroad, warning that while efforts in the West African hot zone have shown progress, the fight is “not even close to being over.”

December 2, 2014
A White House official said Sunday night that President Obama will hold three meetings Monday focusing on police tactics in minority communities as protests persist over a grand jury's refusal to indict a white police officer for the shooting death of a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. (Associated Press)

Obama enters Ferguson fray, plans meetings on police tactics in minority communities

The Missouri police officer at the heart of a racial controversy roiling the nation decided to resign because of threats against the Ferguson Police Department and its officers, his attorney said Sunday, hours before the White House announced President Obama would enter the raging debates prompted by the Ferguson shooting with a series of White House events.

November 30, 2014
In this March 24, 2014 file photo, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick reacts as he speaks at a leadership forum in Boston. The state that served as a template for President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act had significant trouble coordinating with the federal government. The Massachusetts state-run health insurance website, designed by the same contractor that worked on the troubled federal website, performed so poorly that it prompted a public apology from Gov. Patrick. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Gov. Deval Patrick: Obama faces balancing test amid Ferguson furor

Outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said Sunday that President Obama probably wants to visit Ferguson, Missouri, and comfort the family of Michael Brown, but his hands are tied because the Justice Department is steeped in a civil rights probe of the incident.

November 30, 2014
FILE - This Nov. 12, 2014 file photo shows the HealthCare.gov website, where people can buy health insurance, on a laptop screen, shown in Portland, Ore. Consumers in most places will see their health insurance premiums go up next year for popular plans under President Barack Obama’s health care law. But it will take time to get to a bottom line for family finances, let alone the larger political battle over the program’s future. For many people, government subsidies will cushion the hit. And there’s a new factor: returning customers who are savvy about health insurance and unafraid to shop for a better deal. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

HHS: More than 450K chose plan on HealthCare.gov in first week

The Health and Human Services Department said Wednesday that 462,000 people selected a health plan through the Obamacare exchanges during the first week of open enrollment, and that roughly half were customers renewing existing plans.

November 26, 2014
Jonathan Gruber poses in his home in Lexington, Mass., in this Feb. 8, 2011, file photo. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Jonathan Gruber, Obamacare ‘architect,’ agrees to testify before Congress

Jonathan Gruber, an MIT economics professor and key Obamacare adviser, has agreed to testify before the House oversight committee next month after critics unearthed a string of YouTube videos that depict him saying the "stupidity" of the American voter and legislative sleight of hand helped the contentious law make it through Congress.

November 25, 2014
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. speaks to supporters, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Lamar Alexander: Anti-discrimination board undermining own mission

A government commission that probes workplace discrimination is chasing shaky legal cases that result in embarrassing and costly losses, a Republican senator charged Monday in a report that says the body has underperformed of late compared to the Bush era.

November 24, 2014
House Speaker John Boehner (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

John Boehner files long-awaited lawsuit over Obamacare

House Speaker John A. Boehner filed a long-awaited lawsuit Friday that alleges President Obama took unlawful steps to delay part of his health care law and is paying out funds to insurers without congressional approval.

November 21, 2014