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The long-standing fight over Obamacare's repeal is about to become a battle over messaging. Instead of doing a victory lap after they start dismantling the law in January, Republicans will not only have to rewrite a massive law, they'll have to quickly sell the public on the idea that their plan is cheaper and won't leave millions of Americans uninsured. An early look at the GOP's plans shows that they will be pushing the idea that "universal access" to health insurance is better than mandatory "universal coverage," which has been the foundation of Obamacare. (Haberkorn and Pradhan, 1/3)

With the Republicans controlling Congress and Donald Trump entering the White House on Jan. 20, their mantra of repeal and replace is now a top-tier goal that the party's voters fully expect them to achieve — starting this week. But by unwinding the statute, the GOP would kill or recast programs that provide coverage to 20 million Americans who will be wary of anyone threatening their health insurance. And continuing Republican rifts over how to reshape the law, pay for the replacement and avoid destabilizing health insurance markets mean party leaders have a bumpy path ahead. (Fram, 1/2)

Sen. Rand Paul is urging Congress to repeal and replace ObamaCare at the same time, as lawmakers pave the way this week to roll back the law. The Kentucky Republican wrote in an op-ed published by Rare that it would be "wise" to vote on a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act as they repeal the Obama-era law. "If Congress fails to vote on a replacement at the same time as repeal, the repealers risk assuming the blame for the continued unraveling of Obamacare. For mark my words, Obamacare will continue to unravel and wreak havoc for years to come," he wrote. (Carney, 1/2)

That new health care plan hasn't been fleshed out yet by Trump or his allies in Congress. So they say they'll vote to get rid of Obamacare, but delay its demise until they come up with a replacement that will cover the millions of people who have insurance thanks to the law. But insurance companies and health care analysts are worried. (Kodjak, 1/2)

Vice President-elect Mike Pence will rally House Republicans Wednesday morning on a plan to repeal Obamacare, POLITICO has learned — a counter-punch to President Barack Obama’s visit to the Hill the same day. Pence will meet with the full House Republican Conference to talk about the party’s plan to dismantle Obama’s signature health care law, according to a House Republican leadership aide. (Bade, 1/2)

Republicans want to pass repeal legislation in the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency, but there could be disagreements about which elements of Obamacare they want to demolish and how to achieve their goals. The resulting sprint could feel more like a marathon as Democrats lay plans for a messaging offensive against Trump and the GOP, charging them with depriving millions of Americans of health care with no clear plan for what comes next. (Bade and Schor, 1/2)

One of the first goals for Republican leaders is to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. ... As with many of the Republican goals, the effort is creating a maze of challenges. The most pressing is how to develop a replacement for the 2010 health law without triggering the sort of disruptions that accompanied the law’s rollout, which in turn contributed to the Democrats’ loss of their Senate majority in 2014. (Hughes and Peterson, 1/2)

The first major act of the unified Republican government in 2017 will be a vote in Congress to begin tearing down Obamacare. But the euphoria of finally acting on a long-sought goal will quickly give way to the reality that Republicans -- and President-elect Donald Trump -- have no agreement thus far on how to replace coverage for about 20 million people who gained insurance under the health-care law. (Kapur, 12/29)

Senate and House Republicans are headed for a clash over whether to tackle Medicare reform under President-elect Donald Trump. Senate Republican leaders prefer to focus narrowly on an ObamaCare replacement bill that does not contain changes to Medicare — a cautious approach that reflects their slim majority. But House Republicans, firmly in control of the lower chamber, want to aim higher. They say unified Republican control of government is a chance to finally enact the entitlement reforms that they’ve been talking about for years. (Bolton, 1/1)

Trump initially said during the presidential campaign that he would not cut Medicaid, but later expressed support for an idea pushed for years by Republicans in Congress — sending a fixed amount of money each year to the states in the form of block grants. Backers say such a change in the Medicaid formula is one of the best ways to rein in spending, but critics say big cuts would follow. ... Republicans have argued that states have little incentive to keep expenses under control, because no state pays more than half the total cost. (Cassidy, 12/29)