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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

** FILE ** Rep. Jim McDermott, Washington Democrat. (Associated Press)

States take up the fight against Obama’s changes to health care law

The tumultuous Beltway fight over Americans who lost their health plans because of Obamacare is shifting to the states, where regulators will decide whether to heed President Obama's proposal to let Americans renew their plans — or rebuff him to preserve the core mission of his signature law.

November 17, 2013
Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan Republican (Associated Press)

House set to vote on Republican fix for Obamacare woes

The House is set to vote on a bill Friday that would let Americans hold health plans in the coming year that do not comply with Obamacare, a key test for Democrats torn between angry constituents who are losing their plans and their own party's remedies — including President Obama's new "fix" that lets existing customers renew their barebones plans.

November 15, 2013
The main landing page of the HealthCare.gov website is pictured on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Department of Health and Human Services)

Obamacare numbers reveal how fate of law rests on website

The federal Obamacare exchanges cover two-thirds of the country, but accounted for just 25 percent of first-month enrollment in the new health markets, signaling just how closely the fate of President Obama's signature law is intertwined with a broken federal website.

November 14, 2013
President Barack Obama speaks about his signature health care law, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013, in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. Bowing to pressure, the president intends to permit continued sale of individual insurance plans that have been canceled because they failed to meet coverage standards under the health care law, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Obama concedes, announces changes to health care law

President Obama said Thursday he will let Americans renew for one year any health plans that do not meet Obamacare's coverage standards — a stark attempt to quell the political firestorm around his broken promise that those who like their insurance coverage can keep it under his signature law.

November 14, 2013
** FILE ** President Obama wipes away sweat during a speech at Georgetown University on June 25, 2013. (Associated Press)

White House releases disappointing Obamacare enrollment total: 106,000

The Obama administration said Wednesday that roughly 106,000 Americans had enrolled in private health coverage through Obamacare by selecting a plan during the first month of activity, an expectedly low number of participants as the White House scrambles to fix the overhaul's main website.

November 13, 2013
Rep. Darrell E. Issa (center), California Republican, speaks with Obama administration technology officials as they prepare to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about failures with the HealthCare.gov website and problems implementing Obamacare, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013. From left to right are Henry Chao, deputy chief information officer for Medicare and Medicaid services; Frank Baitman, deputy assistant secretary for information technology at the Department of Health and Human Services; Mr. Issa, chairman of the committee; Todd Park, chief technology officer at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Steve VanRoekel, chief information officer at the Office of Electronic Government in the Office of Management and Budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Only 106,000: Obamacare enrollment falls far short of goal

Only about 106,000 Americans enrolled in Obamacare's health care exchanges during the first month and fewer than 27,000 of those were from the federally run exchanges, the administration said Wednesday, finally releasing numbers showing just how rocky the rollout has been for President Obama's signature initiative.

November 13, 2013
**FILE** Sen. David Vitter, Louisiana Republican (Associated Press)

Sen. David Vitter uses pharmacy bill to challenge Obamacare

Sen. David Vitter wants to know if fellow lawmakers are skirting the letter of the law by exempting staff members from state-based Obamacare markets, and he is willing to hold up a pharmaceuticals bill that breezed through a key test vote late Tuesday to get his colleagues to fess up.

November 12, 2013
** FILE ** Former President Bill Clinton. (AP Photo/Zach Gibson)

Bill Clinton presses Obama to honor health insurance pledge

Former President Bill Clinton said Tuesday President Obama should find a way to keep his oft-repeated promise to the American public that if those who liked their present health insurance plan could keep it under Mr. Obama's new health care law.

November 12, 2013
** FILE ** Sen. Kay R. Hagan, North Carolina Democrat, is pictured after taking part in a re-enactment of the ceremonial Senate swearing-in on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Sen. Kay Hagan gets tough on flawed Obamacare rollout

Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan is calling on federal inspectors to investigate the "unacceptable" rollout of the federal Obamacare website to examine what went wrong, who was at fault and how much it is costing to fix the mess.

November 11, 2013
**FILE** President Barack Obama speaks at Temple Emanu-El on Nov. 6, 2013, in Dallas, as he promotes his health care law. (Associated Press/The Dallas Morning News, Louis DeLuca)

Just 3 percent of projected Obamacare enrollees have signed up: Study

Just 3 percent of those expected to eventually sign up for Obamacare's state-based health markets in a dozen states running their own markets have actually signed up so far, according to an analysis Monday from a health consultancy that predicted the pace will eventually pick up.

November 11, 2013
Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan Republican (Associated Press)

GOP set to jump on low Obamacare enrollment numbers

The Obama administration is set to release Obamacare enrollment data this week, figures that promise to be low and likely will feed further into Republican attempts to discredit the health care law.

November 10, 2013
FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2012 file photo, Jeffrey Zients testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Barack Obama is calling Zients to help correct problems with the new federal health care website. The White House says Zients will assist a team that is said to be working around the clock on the site, www.healthcare.gov. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

White House, Republicans spar over Obamacare record

The Obama administration said Friday it is seeing mixed progress in fixing the federal Obamacare website, as Republicans piled on criticism by saying taxpayers should get a refund for the broken $400 million Internet portal and that new numbers indicate that few people have enrolled in the insurance market for the District of Columbia tied to the health care law.

November 8, 2013
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the difficulties plaguing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act,. The massive failure at healthcare.gov website is getting new criticism for lack of proper cybersecurity protections. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sebelius hits the road to defend Obamacare

Hoping to boost Obamacare's popularity despite its flawed rollout, President Obama's top health official will visit Atlanta on Friday to promote the health care law's benefits and meet with people who are educating Georgians about the reforms.

November 7, 2013