Polls Find Most Disapprove of ACA Defunding Efforts

Several polls conducted in recent days on the Affordable Care Act and efforts in Congress to defund the ACA show mixed opinions among U.S. residents.

Morning Consult Poll: Only 7% Want Congress To Delay ACA Implementation

Just 7% of U.S. residents say that they would like to see Congress delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act or defund the law, while 26% say they want Congress to repeal the entire law, according to a recent poll published by The Morning Consult, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports (Sink, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 9/30).

For the poll, Survey Sampling International surveyed 1,976 registered voters from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

The survey found that 29% of residents say that Congress should make improvements to the ACA, 26% want the law to take effect as is and 13% want Congress to expand it (Morning Consult release, 9/28).

Although respondents were nearly evenly split on their approval of the ACA -- 48% "strongly" or "somewhat" approve and 46% "strongly" or "somewhat" disapprove -- they were less divisive on how the law would affect their health care quality and costs. Specifically, the poll found:

• 57% of respondents said they think the law will increase their health care costs; 
• 40% of respondents said they think the law will make health care worse for their families;
• About 33% said they think the law will improve their families' health outcomes;
• 25% of respondents said they think the law will have no effect on the quality of their health care; and
• 15% said they think the ACA will lower their health care costs.

However, the poll also found that 95% of U.S. residents said they would prefer to have health insurance (Sink, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 9/30).

Quinnipiac Poll: 72% of Voters Oppose Gov't Shutdown as ACA-Defunding Tactic

Although 47% of registered voters who responded to a recent Quinnipiac University poll said they oppose the ACA, a wide majority -- 72% -- are against efforts to defund the law that have caused the government to shut down, the National Journal reports.

The poll also found that while 45% of respondents support the ACA:

• 34% of respondents think Congress should defund the law;
• 27% of respondents think Congress' efforts to defund the law should be tied to raising the debt limit; and
• 22% of respondents think Congress' defunding efforts should be tied to the threat of a government shutdown.

The poll -- which surveyed 1,479 registered voters between Sept. 23 and Sept. 29 -- has an error margin of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points (Shepard, National Journal, 10/1).

Calif. Poll: San Diego Residents Do Not Think ACA Delay Attempts Worth Gov't Shutdown

Separately, a U-T San Diego/10News poll found that 49% of respondents in San Diego County do not think that a one-year delay of the ACA merits a government shutdown, U-T San Diego reports. Democrats accounted for 69% of those respondents, while Republicans accounted for 35%.

The poll also found:

• 42% of respondents indicated they thought a delay was worth a shutdown, with Republicans accounting for 61% of such respondents and Democrats accounting for 25%;
• 50% of respondents said they oppose the ACA, with Republicans accounting for 73% of respondents and Democrats for 19%;
• 29% of respondents said they support the ACA, with Democrats accounting for 55% of such respondents and Republicans for 12%;
• 48% of respondents said that President Obama would be responsible if the government does shut down, with Republicans accounting for 66% of such respondents and Democrats for 21%; and
• 36% of respondents said that Republicans in Congress would be accountable for a shutdown, with Democrats accounting for 69% of such respondents and Republicans for 21%.

The poll surveyed 500 residents in the San Diego County area on Sept. 30, and has an error margin of plus or minus 4.4 to 4.5 percentage points (U-T San Diego, 9/30).

AAF Survey: Swing-District Voters Support Individual Mandate Delay

Meanwhile, a poll published Monday by the conservative American Action Forum found that 55% of voters in 18 swing districts support Republicans efforts to delay the individual mandate, while 52% specifically support delaying the mandate through the government funding bill, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports.

The poll surveyed 1,200 likely voters between Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 among districts identified as conservative, swing or lean Democratic but held by a Republican (Viebeck, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 9/30).