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With a Supreme Court decision looming that could lead to the loss of health insurance for millions of Americans, supporters and opponents of President Obama’s health-care law already are mobilizing for the next stage of the battle: influencing policy alternatives if the court upends a key component of the law. (Sun, 6/15)

Senior Republicans who are worried they’ll be blamed for killing health insurance for millions of Americans have been busy assembling a range of options if the Supreme Court strikes down the law’s subsidies in 34 states. But the GOP senators running for president — starting but not ending with firebrand Ted Cruz — threaten to stymie their leaders’ carefully hatched plans. Any whiff that the GOP’s Plan B is a continuation of Obamacare is bound to spark furious protests from the conservative base, putting pressure on the presidential hopefuls to respond. Cruz, for one, would press for a wholesale repeal of the law — or to allow states to opt out of Obamacare — if the high court provides the opening. (Raju and Everett, 6/16)

The Bush administration health policy band is getting back together — to tell states they will probably have to think about setting up their own insurance exchanges under the health law if the Supreme Court rules that is a condition of their residents continuing to get tax credits to help pay premiums. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, acting general counsel Thomas Barker, chief of staff Rich McKeown, assistant secretary for legislation Vince Ventimiglia, deputy secretary Tevi Troy and the former acting Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Kerry Weems have signed an open letter to governors telling them there’s a good chance this will fall to the states to decide, and that they should get ready. (Radnofsky, 6/15)

If the Supreme Court rules against ObamaCare this month, states will have more power to demand major changes to the healthcare law. And a group of former Bush administration health officials have outlined what they think should be the terms of that grand bargain. (Ferris, 6/15)