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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Associated Press Sen. Mike Johanns, Nebraska Republican, said he was pleased that the House vote on the Obamacare privacy bill had such strong bipartisan support and urged the Senate majority leader to allow a vote.

Transparency bill marks GOP’s shift on Obamacare for midterms

The Republican-controlled House this week is set to follow up passage of an Obamacare privacy bill with a transparency measure that could attract dozens of Democratic votes — a sign the GOP is shifting from efforts to repeal the health care law to a more nuanced approach in a midterm election year.

January 12, 2014
A "step-by-step approach is the way to do it with enforcement coming first," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Republican, regarding immigration reform. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

D.C. authority at center of battle on abortion funding

Republicans signaled Thursday that they will try to permanently ban taxpayer-funded abortions in the District of Columbia, igniting a furious backlash from city officials who said the move is an effort to change a 40-year understanding between the city and the federal government.

January 9, 2014
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, calls radio and TV ads urging businesses in Missouri to leave for Texas misleading. (Associated Press)

Republican-led states rethink rejection of Medicaid expansion

With Obamacare now in effect across the country, some Republican-led states will revisit their decisions to reject an expansion of Medicaid, once again deciding whether their contempt for the Affordable Care Act outweighs the allure of additional federal money in the short term.

January 9, 2014
** FILE ** In this Dec. 11, 2013, file photo, Rosemary Cabelo uses a computer at a public library to access the Affordable Health Care Act website, in San Antonio. The Obama administration says following a December surge, more than 1.1 million people have now enrolled for health insurance through the federal government's improved website. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

House GOP changes tack on Obamacare, focuses on website security

The White House said Thursday it opposes — yet noticeably did not threaten to veto — a pair of House bills that would require the government to issue weekly reports on Obamacare enrollment and quickly notify consumers of any breach of their personal data on state-based insurance markets tied to the law.

January 9, 2014
**FILE** Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican (Associated Press)

GOP senator sues over Obamacare subsidies for Congress

Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday he will ask the courts to make sure that Congress is treated the same way regular Americans are treated in the Obamacare marketplace, even if it means taking away his colleagues' health care subsidies, because the financial aid is not in the Obamacare law they passed in 2010 and forces taxpayers to pay for part of lawmakers' premiums.

January 6, 2014
FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2013, file photo, MNsure insurance exchange representatives Carlos Villanueva, left, and Emily Joyce prepare for the Oct. 1 open enrollment debut at the center in St. Paul, Minn. The federal government hasn’t released comprehensive data on how many people have signed up for health insurance in the 36 states using federally run exchanges, and in the 14 states running their own exchanges, lack of enrollment numbers also makes it hard to say if Obamacare is a success. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

Report: Obamacare may increase use of emergency rooms

By urging states to expand Medicaid, Obamacare may actually increase the number of people who will get medical care from emergency rooms, according to a new report Thursday that counters previous Obama administration claims that the Affordable Care Act would stem the need for emergency visits.

January 2, 2014
FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the difficulties plaguing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Experts say it will take at least a year for small businesses to know how the law and its computer glitches will affect them. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sebelius touts Obamacare as ‘new day’

President Obama's top health official said Tuesday that 2014 marks a "new day in health care for millions of Americans," with more than 2 million people having enrolled in a private plan as of Saturday and nearly 4 million finding out they're eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program through the end of November.

December 31, 2013
President Barack Obama laughs as he is asked a question during an end-of-the year news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. At the end of his fifth year in office, Obama's job approval and personal favorability ratings have fallen to around the lowest point of his presidency. Obama will depart later for his home state of Hawaii for his annual Christmas vacation trip. It's the first time in his presidency that his departure plans have not been delayed by legislative action in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sebelius: 2014 marks ‘new day’ for Obamacare

Brushing aside Obamacare’s ongoing problems, the president’s top health official said Tuesday that 2014 marks a “new day in health care for millions of Americans,” with more than 2 million people having enrolled as of Saturday and nearly 4 million learning in the first two months of the rollout that they’re eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

December 31, 2013