WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans will move to temporarily continue health care subsidies for millions of people if the Supreme Court overturns the aid, according to plans discussed Wednesday in the House and Senate.

Republicans on both sides of the Capitol met privately to discuss how to respond to the politically explosive ruling, which is expected in the next two weeks and could result in some 7 million people losing subsidies to buy coverage under President Obama’s contested health care law.

Under the plan presented by a quartet of committee chairmen to House Republicans and described by several lawmakers, subsidies would continue for the rest of this calendar year. After that, states could obtain block grants to continue the aid, and if a state turns down the block grant, individuals could receive tax subsidies directly as they do now.

The money would be used to shop for health insurance in a reordered marketplace without requirements for most people to carry insurance and most employers to offer it. The plan would be temporary, although exactly how long it would last was unclear.

Several lawmakers said it would be no more than two years. After that, the law Republicans call “Obamacare” would be eliminated altogether and replaced with a new approach.

Senate Republicans are discussing a structure similar to the one in the House plan.

Such an effort would be sure to encounter solid Democratic opposition and a veto from the president, who has championed the law’s extension of health coverage to millions.

And the approach carries political risks for Republicans. In the House, Republicans have voted more than 50 times to repeal all or portions of the health care law and could now be accused of moving to extend it leading into a presidential election year.


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