A consistent 30 percent of Americans favor repeal of Affordable Care Act
THURSDAY, Feb. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The Affordable Care Act remains one of the most significant — and controversial — achievements of President Barack Obama’s presidency. And Americans remain deeply divided over the health-care reform law that was signed by Obama five years ago, a HealthDay/Harris Poll released Thursday found.
A consistent 30 percent of Americans favor repeal of the law, although they’re outnumbered by a majority of people who like the law as it is (26 percent) or want to keep the law with some changes (28 percent), the poll revealed. While the new GOP majority in Congress has vowed to repeal or rework the law, Obama has said he would veto any such efforts.
Opposition to, or support for, the law continues to break down along party lines. The poll found that 54 percent of Republicans favor repeal of the law that requires most Americans to have health insurance or face a financial penalty, while only 8 percent like the law as it is and 25 percent would like to see it modified. Conversely, 44 percent of Democrats want the law to remain as it stands, with 28 percent supporting modifications and only 9 percent in favor of repeal.
People are less likely to support repeal when asked about specific provisions of the Affordable Care Act. For example: 70 percent of respondents favor the provision that guarantees insurance coverage regardless of pre-existing health conditions; 62 percent like the ability to keep children on their parents’ insurance plans until they turn 26; and only 18 percent want to repeal the health insurance exchanges, which are federal or state-run marketplaces that allow consumers to buy insurance online.
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