Both supporters and opponents of the Affordable Care Act are preparing for the Supreme Court's ruling on the law, with some lawmakers toting "pocket cards" to help outline their message.
Obama administration officials say they are confident that the court will rule in favor of the overhaul, but some advocates of the law are preparing in case the decision is less favorable. Families USA recently hosted two days of meetings with a group of organizations supporting the law to coordinate responses. Ron Pollack, head of Families USA, said that if the high court invalidates certain portions of the health reform law, "we need to make sure the public does not see that as meaning the law is killed."
Congressional Democrats are planning to force the GOP to "show their hand on the issue of the uninsured," aides tell the New York Times. Meanwhile, House Democrats are carrying a "pocket card" that outlines how the overhaul already has been beneficial.
Meanwhile, Republicans are working to coordinate their messages and responses with presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the Washington Post reports. If the court upholds portions of the overhaul, House Republicans plan to immediately force a vote to repeal the entire law.
However, some Republicans have privately expressed concerns that such a strategy would put them on record opposing some of the overhaul's most popular provisions, according to the Post. (Weisman/Shear, New York Times, 6/14; Somashekhar, Washington Post, 6/14).
