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President Barack Obama told congressional leaders Tuesday that he doesn’t expect the Supreme Court to rule that Obamacare’s tax subsidies can only go to residents of states running their own health exchanges, according to one of the law’s biggest critics. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) asked Obama during a roundtable discussion with congressional leaders why the administration hasn’t notified the public that premium subsidies could be eliminated and whether contingency planning is under way in case the court rules against the White House in King v. Burwell. He said he interpreted Obama’s public confidence as a sign that no contingency plans are in development. (Haberkorn, 1/13)

For years, Republicans have debated if it was enough to simply attack President Obama’s signature health care law and seek its repeal or advance a detailed alternative to Obamacare that would benefit policyholders and the economy. In a speech kicking off a two-day Heritage Foundation policy summit, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) – the new chair of the House Budget Committee – said the GOP must finally spell out a new, more conservative approach if the High Court rules the federal insurance exchanges have been giving subsidies to people in defiance of the law. (Pianin, 1/13)

Tea Party darling Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) did his level best to stay relevant among his conservative base Monday night by stoking the flames of the anti-Obamacare debate. ... Cruz challenged the freshman Republicans to make good on the campaign promises that got them elected to the 114th Congress. He noted that all 12 new members ran on the idea of repealing the president’s health care law. (Ehley, 1/13)

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is asking whether federal administrators contributed to the collapse of an Iowa-based health-insurance carrier. The Iowa Republican sent a letter Tuesday to President Obama’s top healthcare official, asking for details about why CoOportunity Health suddenly hit a cash flow crisis. (Leys, 1/13)

The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously Monday, 401-0, to amend the Affordable Care Act so it’s clear volunteer firefighters don’t count as full-time employees under the health care law. (Radelat, 1/13)