Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union, will say the healthcare reform law “is driving the explosive growth” of the nation’s debt.

Ryan, considered a rising star in the GOP, says the reform law is causing healthcare costs and insurance premiums to rise, and it will force millions to lose the coverage they already have, according to text of his speech sent to reporters before the State of the Union address.

Ryan reiterates GOP plans to replace the reform law with “fiscally responsible, patient-centered reforms that actually reduce costs and expand coverage.”

Citing a recent presidential order to review federal regulations, Ryan said the reform law should be front and center in those efforts.

“The President mentioned the need for regulatory reform to ease the burden on American businesses," Ryan said. "We agree – and we think his health care law would be a great place to start."

In his speech, Ryan takes issue with waivers for reform law requirements that have been granted to more than 200 groups.

“Washington should not be in the business of picking winners and losers,” he said.

President Obama's State of the Union speech is already causing consternation among trial lawyers, half an hour before he even delivers it.

According to his remarks as prepared for delivery, Obama will throw a bone to Republicans by vowing to take up medical malpractice reform. For the GOP, that usually means a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages and other restrictions, as spelled out in legislation introduced this week by Reps. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) and David Scott (D-Ga.).

"I'm willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs," Obama is scheduled to say, "including one that Republicans suggested last year: medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits."

Speaking in the same chamber that rebuked the healthcare reform law a week earlier, President Obama in the State of the Union address will reject Republican repeal efforts but embrace the GOP’s call for medical malpractice reform.

In a speech centering on moving forward, Obama will say he is “eager” to discuss ways to improve the reform law, but reject Republican plans to scrap the healthcare overhaul enacted less than a year ago.

“As we speak, this law is making prescription drugs cheaper for seniors and giving uninsured students a chance to stay on their parents' coverage” Obama will say, according to official remarks sent to reporters an hour before the speech. “So instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let's fix what needs fixing and move forward.”

Saying “anything can be improved,” Obama will signal a willingness to work with Republicans to improve the reform, and he will even back medical liability reform, a highly partisan issue that was left out of the sweeping reform bill. Republicans this week unveiled a comprehensive tort reform bill, which Democrats have historically opposed.

Citing the bipartisan Fiscal Commission, which identified healthcare spending as the biggest threat to the nation’s deficit, Obama says lawmakers must find ways to further reduce healthcare costs. The reform law, Obama says, will help tackle costs in programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

President Obama is a few hours away from delivering his first State of the Union address to a Congress controlled in part by Republicans.

We'll be closely watching the address for what Obama says about healthcare reform less than a week after House Republicans voted for a repeal. The speech gives Obama his most visible chance to defend the reform law since the repeal vote, and whatever he says about healthcare could set the tone for Democratic lawmakers going forward.

Check back with Healthwatch for blogs on Obama’s address and the reaction from both parties and interest groups. We’ll be delivering this coverage in lieu of an Overnight Health on Tuesday. Come back Wednesday evening for the next Overnight Health.

A key panel of the Arkansas legislature has blocked an attempt to reject the federal healthcare reform law's requirement that everyone carry insurance, The Associated Press reports.

The panel rejected the bill after an assistant attorney general said it would almost guarantee that the state would get sued. Six other states — Virginia, Idaho, Arizona, Georgia, Missouri and Louisiana — have already enacted legislation rejecting the mandate, while Arizona and Oklahoma amended their constitution to declare that their residents don't have to buy insurance.

A federal judge in Florida is expected to rule any day on a multi-state lawsuit challenging the mandate.

Eleven Teaching Health Centers on Tuesday were awarded grants under the healthcare reform law, part of the federal government's plan to increase primary care medical and dental residents in under-served communities.

The centers will become part of the five-year Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program and are expected to train 50 additional full-time residents beginning in July. A total of $1.9 million of funding is being awarded for the first year, with more to come in future years.

"The Teaching Health Center program is an integral part of our mission to strengthen the nation's primary care workforce and ensure that all Americans have adequate access to care," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

The White House has invited two people it says have benefited from Democrats' healthcare reform law to sit with first lady Michelle Obama during Tuesday's State of the Union address.

James Howard, a brain cancer patient from Texas, is taking advantage of the law's Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. The law set aside $5 billion for state-based, high-risk pools until 2014, when the law requires insurance companies to cover everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions.

Also in the first lady's box will be Jim Houser, an auto repair shop owner from Oregon who estimates that the law's small business tax credits will save him more than $10,000.

The invitations coincide with the White House's new "Voices of Health Reform" campaign highlighting people who are already benefiting from some of the law's provisions. The campaign seeks to draw attention to positive aspects of the law, particularly in local and state media, as Republicans move forward with their plans to repeal the law.

Please check back with Healthwatch later tonight for live blogging of the State of the Union, including reaction from lawmakers.

The co-chairs of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus will host a briefing Wednesday for staffers who have questions about mental illness in the wake of the Jan. 8 shooting of Rep. Gabrille Giffords (D-Ariz.).

The prime suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, is widely believed to suffer from a mental illness.

The briefing is hosted by Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), who co-founded the caucus in 2003. The week after the shooting, Napolitano told The Hill that she wanted to host a briefing on mental-health danger signs because staffers are often on the receiving end of threats or disturbing remarks but don't always know which to take seriously.

"In the wake of the shooting in Tucson, Arizona, many congressional staff are concerned about mental health and mental illness and their work as staff," reads a memo from Napolitano's office to congressional staffers  "While stressing the importance of not increasing stigma against the mentally ill, who are not more likely to be violent than the general population, the Congressional Mental Health Caucus will provide a panel of experts to take questions and discuss what resources are available to staff members if they do feel threatened."

Invited panelists include Daniel Dodgen, the director of the Office for At Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health, and Human Services Coordination at HHS; William Hudock of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and Pete Earley, a representative from the Capitol Police.

The hour-long briefing has been scheduled for 2 p.m. in 2103 Rayburn House Office Building.

Republicans on the powerful Energy committee are again leveraging new oversight powers to investigate a provision in the reform law.