White House’s Efforts Have Not Changed Public Opinion on Reform Law
Despite the Obama administration's efforts to bolster public support for the health law by implementing some of its provisions early, a new Kaiser Family Foundation Kaiser Family Foundation poll shows that many U.S. residents remain unswayed, Politico reports.
The Health Tracking Poll found that 41% of respondents view reform favorably, while 44% view it unfavorably, a change from last month when 46% held favorable views and 40% held unfavorable views. Fourteen percent of respondents remain unsure about the new law.
The poll also found that the percentage of individuals who hold a "very favorable" opinion of the legislation dropped from 23% in April to 14% now. Conversely, 32% of respondents said they now hold very unfavorable opinions of the law, compared with 30% last month. In addition, 44% of respondents reported that they remain "confused" about the law, down from 55% in April, according to the poll.
By party, 72% of Democrats have a favorable view of the law, compared with 14% who hold an unfavorable view. Eight percent of Republicans reported a favorable opinion of the law, compared with 85% who have an unfavorable view. Among independents, 37% expressed favorable views, compared with 49% who have unfavorable views.
The White House has worked to implement some popular components of the law faster than anticipated, including provisions allowing adult children to remain on their parents' health plan until age 26 and providing tax credits for small businesses. However, the poll "suggests the accelerated implementation schedule has failed to sway a skeptical public -- or even [to keep] health reform's most ardent supporters on board," according to Politico.
The poll was conducted between May 11 and May 16 and involved about 1,200 individuals (Haberkorn/Kliff, Politico, 5/21).