The Kaiser Family Foundation's November Health Tracking Poll focused on public perception of the Affordable Care Act, with a top-line finding that "Americans remain somewhat more likely to have an unfavorable view of the law (44%) than a favorable one (37%)," but that that attitude might have as much to do with the ACA as with a profound dissatisfaction in government in general. Check out this chart from the findings [pdf]:
Unfavorable views of the health reform law may be a proxy for more general disillusionment with the state of the country and Washington politics. A plurality (44 percent) of those who view the law unfavorably say their negative view is more about their general feelings about the direction of the country and what’s going on in Washington right now, while just a quarter say it’s based on what they know about the law; another three in ten (28 percent) volunteer that it’s equal parts of both.
That makes sense, because many, of not most, of the individual provisions of the law are quite popular, with a singular exception.
- The survey also finds that individual elements of the law are viewed favorably by a majority of the public. The law's most popular element, viewed favorably by more than eight in ten (84%) and "very" favorably by six in ten, is the requirement that health plans provide easy-to-understand benefit summaries. Also extremely popular are provisions that would award tax credits for small businesses (80% favorable, including 45% very favorable) and provide subsidies to help some individuals buy coverage (75% favorable, including 44% very favorable), as well as the provision that would gradually close the Medicare doughnut hole (74% favorable, including 46% very favorable) and the "guaranteed issue" requirement that prohibits health plans from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions (67% favorable, including 47% “very” favorable).
- Despite strongly partisan reaction to the law overall, many of its provisions are popular among Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. The elements of the law with the highest levels of bipartisan support include requiring plans to publish easy-to-understand summaries (88% of Democrats, 87% of independents, and 76% of Republicans favorable), tax credits to small businesses (88%, 77%, and 73%, respectively), and allowing individuals to appeal their health plans' decisions to an independent reviewer (82%, 70%, and 70%, respectively).
- Far and away the least popular element of the health reform law is the individual mandate, the requirement that individuals obtain health insurance or pay a fine. More than six in ten (63%) Americans view this provision unfavorably, including more than four in ten (43%) who have a "very" unfavorable view.
The mandate, of course, is the provision that has received the most media attention and the most discussion by politicians, predominantly Republican politicians. And what gets talked about the most tends to be what sticks in people minds. Consider this disheartening finding: "Substantial shares [...] incorrectly believe the law does two specific things that it does not. For instance, more than half (56%) think the law includes a new government-run insurance plan to be offered along with private plans (while another 13% don’t know if the law does this). And a third (35%) think the law allows a government panel to make decisions about end-of-life care for people on Medicare (with another 12% saying they don’t know). Those numbers have changed little in the past year."
No, America, government death panels don't exist. Neither, unfortunately, does the public option.