Poll: Few Residents Think Rollout of Exchanges Has Gone Very Well

When asked their opinion of the rollout of the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchanges, just 7% of U.S. residents think the launch has gone very or extremely well, while 40% believe it has not gone well, according to an AP-GfK poll released Thursday, the Washington Times' "Inside Politics" reports (Howell, "Inside Politics," Washington Times, 10/10).

The poll -- which surveyed 1,227 adults online between Oct. 3 and Oct. 7 -- also found that:

• 20% of respondents said the launch has gone somewhat well; and
• 30% did not know how to respond.

However, respondents' overall opinion of the ACA seemed to affect their view of the rollout. For example, among people who support the ACA:

• 19% said the exchange rollout went extremely or very well;
• 40% said it went somewhat well; and
• 18% said the rollout did not go too well or did not go well at all.

Meanwhile, 42% of uninsured respondents said they did not know enough about the exchange rollout to judge its success.

U.S. Residents Trying Out Exchanges, Majority Experience Problems, Few Successful

Despite the rocky launch, researchers found that millions of U.S. residents are attempting to enroll in coverage through the exchanges.

The survey found that 7% of respondents said someone in their household tried to sign up for insurance through the exchanges, representing a possible 20 million people (Agiesta/Benac, AP/Sacramento Bee, 10/11).

However, about 75% of those who tried to sign up through the exchanges reported problems ("Inside Politics," Washington Times, 10/10). Further, only about one in 10 of those who attempted to enroll in coverage through the exchanges succeeded (AP/Sacramento Bee, 10/11).

ACA Support Grows Amid Shutdown

In related news, an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday shows the ACA has gained support amid the government shutdown, as Republicans in Congress push to defund the law, The Hill's "Blog Briefing Room" reports.

The poll -- which surveyed 800 U.S. adults -- found that 38% of respondents think the ACA is a good idea, a seven percentage point increase from last month's figures. The poll also found that 43% feel the law is a bad idea, while 17% said they have no opinion of the ACA.

Further, the poll found that:

• 50% of respondents oppose completely eliminating funding for the ACA;
• 23% think the government shutdown should continue in order to defund the ACA; and
• 13% think ACA funding should be totally eliminated, but not at the expense of a shutdown.

Meanwhile, respondents also weighed in on the political strategy in the budget impasse, with 40% agreeing with President Obama's position not to negotiate about the budget or the ACA until the government is reopened and the debt ceiling has been raised. In contrast, 43% disagree with Obama's stance (Trujillo, "Blog Briefing Room," The Hill, 10/10).