Paul Ryan to attend ObamaCare arguments at the Supreme Court

Three top Republicans, including House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), plan to sit in for next week’s oral arguments at the Supreme Court on ObamaCare.

Ryan, as well as Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), will go to the court’s chambers to hear the oral arguments on Wednesday, their offices confirmed.

Out of more than 50 offices surveyed by the Hill, the three lawmakers were the only Republicans who said they plan to attend the oral arguments. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) does not plan to attend, his spokesman said.

{mosads}The case, King v. Burwell, threatens to cut off subsidies in the 37 states that have opted to use the federal government’s marketplace instead of creating their own. If the court rules against ObamaCare, more than 8 million people in those states could immediately lose the subsidies helping them pay for coverage.

Ryan, Alexander and Barrasso all represent states where people could lose their subsidies.

The three lawmakers have also been some of the party’s top voices working on ObamaCare backup plans in case of a plaintiff victory.

Ryan was charged with contingency planning by House leadership. On the Senate side, several members, from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), have promised to come up with their own alternatives.  

The party has begun to fret about the fallout from King v. Burwell, fearing the sudden loss of subsidies could put pressure on lawmakers and governors to restore them.

But with one week before arguments, members remain firmly split about how to handle the potential loss of billions of dollars of subsidies.