Poll: Residents Remain Divided on ACA, Support for Repeal Has Declined

Voters remained about evenly divided on the Affordable Care Act after Election Day, with 43% viewing the law favorably and 39% viewing it unfavorably, although fewer wanted to repeal it, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll, Kaiser Health News' "Capsules" reports (Rau, "Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 11/13).

Poll Results

The November results -- which were culled from surveys of 1,223 individuals conducted between Nov. 7 and Nov. 10 -- are nearly inverse those from the October KFF tracking poll, when 43% of respondents viewed the ACA unfavorably and 38% viewed it favorably (Baker, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 11/13).

The post-election results suggest that after much consternation over the ACA since its passage in 2010, the "issue ended up being a wash" in the presidential race, according to "Capsules." Although about 70% voters listed the ACA as a "major factor" in their vote, just 5% said it was the largest factor ("Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 11/13).

Meanwhile, public support for repealing the law reached a record low, with just 33% of respondents favoring a full repeal (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 11/13). Further, 49% of respondents said they wanted to keep or expand the ACA ("Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 11/13).

Voters Weigh In on Health Care in General

Health care in general was not a significant issue in the presidential election, CQ HealthBeat reports. Overall, 16% of respondents who voted for President Obama said health care was their top issue, while 13% of respondents who voted for Republican challenger Mitt Romney pointed to health care as their top issue ("Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 11/13).

In addition, although 70% and 61% of respondents listed the future of Medicare and Medicaid as a significant factor in their vote, just 3% and 1% of respondents said those issues were the biggest factor in their decision. Further, 82% of individuals age 65 and older said Medicare was a significant factor in their vote (KFF tracking poll, 11/13).

Voters who named health care issues as one of the top two factors in their decision favored Obama over Romney 55% to 41% ("Capsules," Kaiser Health News, 11/13). (KFF tracking poll, 11/13).

Overall, the poll showed that more voters trust Obama on Medicare, with 48% of respondents saying Obama's re-election would be good for Medicare, compared with 29% who said it would be bad. Meanwhile, a plurality of respondents said Obama would be good for Medicaid, and 56% of respondents said he would be good for women, according to the poll ("Healthwatch," The Hill, 11/13).