Poll: Support for Health Reform Holds Steady Among Californians
The percentage of Californians who support the federal health reform law has remained steady at 52% since last year, according to a new Field Poll, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Researchers conducted the telephone poll of 1,194 state residents between Feb. 8 and Feb. 24.
Key Findings
The new Field Poll found that 52% of Californians support the law and 37% oppose it. The results are nearly the same as those from an earlier Field Poll conducted in April 2010, shortly after the overhaul was enacted. The 2010 poll found that 52% of Californians supported the law and 38% opposed it.
The latest poll also found that:
- 60% of respondents believe California will be successful in implementing the reform law;
- 36% believe the health care system will be worse off in five years;
- 22% believe the health care system will be better off in five years;
- 20% said they expect to benefit from the law after it is fully implemented; and
- 14% said they already have benefitted from the law (Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/4).
When asked about how lawmakers should address the reform law:
- 40% of respondents said Congress should repeal it;
- 39% said Congress should expand it; and
- 13% said Congress should leave the law as it is (Weintraub, HealthyCal, 4/4).
Implications
The poll shows that Californians generally are more supportive of the health care overhaul than the rest of the U.S., which is almost evenly split between supporting and opposing the law, according to recent studies.
Mark DiCamillo, Field Poll director, said the state's high level of support for the health reform law likely stems from its large percentage of Democratic voters and minority residents, all of whom generally support the overhaul (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/4).
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