Politics surround the health overhaul, grab headlines

While Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the Senate Finance Committee's ranking Republican, is taking an increasingly hard line on efforts to undo the health law, supporters of former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney are giving him political cover as other GOP presidential hopefuls step up their attacks on "RomneyCare." Also, Politico reports that the health law continues to be a boon for the K Street economy.

Politico: Orrin Hatch: Health Care Law Can't Be Fixed
Sen. Orrin Hatch says there are too many problems with the health care law to fix it, and he doesn't rule out an all-out push to repeal or defund the law — as House Republicans want — even if that means defeating a long-term spending agreement to fund the government for the rest of the year (Nather, 3/16).

The Hill: Mitt's Backers: 'RomneyCare' Overblown
Mitt Romney's supporters on Capitol Hill are giving him political cover for the health care plan he signed into law as governor, even as his competitors for the GOP presidential nomination ramp up their attacks on "RomneyCare." Romney's health care reform initiative in Massachusetts is viewed as one of his biggest political liabilities going into the Republican primary, due to its similarities to President Obama's health care overhaul. But leading conservatives, including supporters of Romney during his 2008 presidential run, argue that the Massachusetts plan isn't a deal-breaker (O'Brien, 3/17).

Politico: A Second Stimulus For K Street?
For all his anti-lobbyist rhetoric, President Barack Obama has done more than almost anyone to help K Street fatten its wallet. First came his push to pass health care and Wall Street reforms, an epic two-year stretch of bruising legislative battles that saw lobbying revenues skyrocket. But the boom didn't end when the legislation became law (Frates, 3/17).