On the first anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that public opinion of the law is still mixed.
A survey this month by the Kaiser Family Foundation found 42 percent of Americans support the health law while 46 percent are opposed. Although both figures were down slightly from February, overall they have changed little since President Barack Obama signed the landmark bill into law on March 23, 2010.
The survey found last April that 46 percent of Americans favored the law and 40 percent opposed it. But both sides have been up and down since then, although neither side has been able to move beyond 50 percent over the course of the year.
Not surprisingly, public opinion of the law varies along partisan lines, with 71 percent of Democrats supporting the law while 82 percent of Republicans oppose it in the latest survey. Of those who oppose the law, 20 percent say they are most concerned about its costs, 19 percent are worried about the government’s role and 18 percent don’t like the law's mandate that individuals get coverage.
The public also remains as confused about the law today as it was a year ago: About 53 percent of Americans said they are confused, the survey found. That is even more widespread among the uninsured and low-income Americans – the groups who have the most to gain from the law, particularly when most coverage expansions take effect in 2014. About six in 10 in these groups report a lack of understand....
The poll also delivers some bad news for Republicans pushing for repeal of the law. Less than 40 percent of Americans favor repeal, with about 21 percent of respondents favor repealing the law and not returning to the issue, while 18 percent want the law repealed and replaced by a Republican alternative plan, the survey found.
The poll found that 21 percent of Americans would like to keep the law intact, while another 30 percent favor expanding it.
Add that up, and you have 51 percent of Americans who support the law and want it to do more, so the Republican mantra of getting government out of healthcare is obviously not a widely held sentiment. One this is fairly certain—the vast majority of Americans would prefer that Congress be spending their time dealing with jobs and the economy than refighting this battle.