WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are divided over how to respond to an approaching Supreme Court decision on President Barack Obama’s health care law, even as growing numbers concede that their long-sought goal of repealing the statute will have to wait.

Should the plaintiffs prevail in the GOP-backed lawsuit, the justices could annul one of the law’s backbones: federal subsidies helping around 7.7 million people afford health insurance in more than 30 states. Republicans broadly agree that Congress should react by temporarily replacing that aid, aware that abruptly ending it would anger millions of voters before the 2016 presidential and congressional elections.

Yet when it comes to choosing an overall response to a court ruling, GOP lawmakers have suggested at least five different proposals — so far. None has won consensus backing from Republicans.

The divisions underscore the challenge Republicans face between satisfying conservative supporters who want the law dismantled and providing help should millions lose their ability to afford coverage. But the sheer existence of the GOP proposals could help in court because it might suggest to the justices that despite Democrats’ claims that eliminating the subsidies would spark health insurance chaos, Congress is already working on ways to avoid that.

Republicans say they remain uniformly intent on dismantling the 2010 law, but there’s also no agreement on what the replacement should be. Increasingly, many acknowledge that as long as Obama remains in office, any repeal effort will mostly serve to tee up the issue for the 2016 elections.

“I think it needs to be part of the presidential campaign, and then the winner will be able to point to that as part of their mandate,” said No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Cornyn of Texas. Meanwhile, he said, “what we all need to do is unite around one approach, if that’s at all possible, and that’s been a challenge because there are competing good ideas out there.”

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is helping to craft a plan he says would temporarily protect people who lose subsidies and eliminate the law’s requirements that individuals buy coverage and that companies cover their workers. He said that would “allow the full replacement debate to be the 2016 election campaign, and then a Republican in the White House in 2017 who’ll actually sign” alternative legislation.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who faces a tight re-election race next year, would extend the current subsidies until August 2017 but also eliminate the coverage requirements for individuals and employers, which Obama considers key parts of the law and would be unlikely to accept.