Majority of California Voters Support ACA, Field Poll Finds

More than half of California voters support the Affordable Care Act -- the highest rate of approval in the state since the law was implemented in 2010, according to a new Field Poll, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The poll was conducted through a grant from the California Wellness Foundation.

Details of Findings

The poll found that about 56% of registered voters in California support the ACA and 35% oppose it, compared with 41% of U.S. voters overall who support the law and 54% who oppose  it. Support for the law was especially strong in Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Statewide, 60% of Californians said the state government has successfully implemented the law. Specifically, respondents said state officials have successfully enacted several objectives of the law, including:

• Decreasing the uninsured rate in the state;
• Expanding Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program; and
• Increasing consumer protections.

However, 46% of voters said the state should do more to limit health insurance rate increases.

Meanwhile, 47% of respondents reported paying more for health care in 2014 than they did in 2013 and 46% said they had difficulty paying for care.

While support for the law remained largely split along partisan lines -- with a majority of Democrats supporting the ACA and most Republicans opposing it -- support among respondents with no party preference increased two percentage points to 56%.

About 43% of California voters said the ACA should be expanded, while 36% said it should be repealed and 12% said it should remain the same (Cadelago, Sacramento Bee, 8/19).