Nearly half of Americans say the Affordable Care Act will make the healthcare situation in the US worse in the long run, while slightly more than one-third think it will make the situation better.
These attitudes have changed little since late November.
These results are from Gallup polling conducted Jan. 3-4, as the new year begins and as most provisions of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, begin to take effect.
When asked more broadly if they approve or disapprove of the Affordable Care Act, Americans come down on the disapprove side by 54% to 38%. These results, too, are similar to attitudes in late November, although they are slightly more negative than attitudes in December.
Americans have tended to disapprove rather than approve of the healthcare law throughout the past year. By contrast, in mid-November 2012, just after President Barack Obama was re-elected, Americans were more evenly divided, with 48% approving and 45% disapproving.
Although Americans generally view Obamacare negatively, most do not at this point believe the law has affected them personally, either positively or negatively.
Sixty-six percent of Americans say the law has not — so far — affected them or their families. The unaffected group is smaller by only a few percentage points than it was in two polls from last year. The relative few who say the law has affected them are more negative than positive about it, with 19% saying the law has hurt them and 10% saying it has helped them.
Although most Americans say the law has not affected them thus far, 37% anticipate it will make their family’s healthcare situation worse in the long run, while 22% say it will make their situation better. These opinions have fluctuated somewhat over the past six months, but in all instances, the public has predicted a more negative than positive personal outcome.
Although the ACA has generated a great deal of news attention in recent months, Americans appear no more familiar with it now than they were last summer. Sixty-nine percent currently say they are “very” or “somewhat familiar” with the law — compared with 68% back in August. However, only one in five Americans claim to be very familiar with the law, which is perhaps understandable given its complexity. Gallup
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Source: Press TV