Republicans, Democrats spin health law as Supreme Court review approaches

With oral arguments set for later this month, the health law is getting more attention from Republicans and the administration as well as from news outlets, which are examining various aspects of the upcoming legal proceedings. 

The Wall Street Journal: Health-Law War Heats Up As Court Review Nears
Democrats and Republicans are reviving their competing campaigns over the health-overhaul law in advance of the Supreme Court's review of the measure this month. After largely avoiding the issue in the 2010 midterm elections, a handful of Democrats are extolling the law on the campaign trail and their websites. Later this week, top Obama administration officials will start traveling to events across the country to celebrate the law in conjunction with its two-year anniversary on March 23 (Radnofsky, 3/13).

Reuters: Insight: Behind The Healthcare-Law Case: The Challengers' Tale
Defending the law, the Obama administration has argued that even opting not to buy health insurance affects commerce because uninsured people inevitably require healthcare and raise the cost for everyone. That argument has largely prevailed in the lower courts, and the administration has hewed to it. In contrast, as the challengers developed their strategy, they have reworked and broadened their case. They pivoted to sweeping arguments they believed highlighted the administration's vulnerability: If government could force people to buy health insurance, what couldn't government force people to buy? What was the limit? (Biskupic, 3/13).

CQ HealthBeat: Will The Supreme Court Punt On The Health Care Law? Two Experts Doubt It
On March 26, the first day of Supreme Court oral arguments in the health care lawsuit, the justices will consider the question of whether the nation's courts should just forget about the whole thing until 2014. But two Supreme Court experts said Tuesday they doubt that the justices will opt to punt the case until the law is actually in effect. Meanwhile, a special lawyer appointed by the court solely to advocate for a postponement has filed his last brief prior to the arguments (Norman, 3/13).