Two-Thirds of Americans Favor Affordable Care Act as Republicans Threaten Healthcare Cuts
Two in three Americans – an all-time high – view health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care … More
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Two in three Americans – an all-time high – view the Affordable Care Act favorably, according to a new KFF poll.
The poll comes as the Republican-led Congress and the Donald Trump White House work on a budget that slashes healthcare spending, which would lead to millions losing their health insurance coverage, particularly those who have Medicaid for low-income Americans.
The ACA, which was signed into law 15 years ago by President Barack Obama, has expanded individual coverage under the law also known as Obamacare to more than 24 million people. Meanwhile, Medicaid was expanded in states that chose to do so, increasing that form of coverage by another more than 21 million people.
In particular, the KFF poll found 83% of the public, including 74% of Republicans, with a favorable view of Medicaid coverage and 66% have a favorable view of the ACA. In addition, the poll shows Americans by overwhelming margins don’t want Republicans to cut health benefits.
The Congressional Budget Office has said the GOP-backed bill would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $793 billion and would increase the number of uninsured by nearly 8 million, according to the latest estimates.
“In general, large majorities of the public, including most Democrats, independents, and Republicans, think it is the government’s responsibility to provide health insurance to people who cannot afford it,” KFF said in an analysis of its poll data.
The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that was passed by a narrow margin of the Republican-controlled U.S. House or Representatives and is currently before the U.S. Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans, is viewed unfavorably by 64% of adults.
“Six in ten Republicans have a favorable opinion of the bill, but this support is largely driven by supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, while two-thirds of non-MAGA Republicans view the bill unfavorably,” KFF said in its poll analysis. “Among both Republicans and MAGA supporters, support drops at least 20 percentage points, with less than half of each group viewing the law favorably
after hearing it would increase the country’s uninsured rate and decrease funding for local hospitals.”
Obamacare coverage has grown across the country in recent years thanks to enhanced subsidies ushered in when Democrats controlled Congress when Joe Biden was President. States led by Republicans who voted for Trump have purchased Obamacare at even higher rates than the rest of the country.
Opponents of efforts to cut healthcare spending may he able to have an impact on the eventual legislation, should it ever reach Trump’s desk. Some Republican Senators, for example, aren’t in favor of reducing Medicaid spending in a way that would hurt rural hospitals.
“Reflecting these ongoing discussions, public attitudes towards the legislation are dynamic and can shift after hearing some of these details,” KFF’s analysis of the poll data shows. “For example, public support for the legislation drops 14 percentage
points to 21% after hearing that the legislation would decrease funding for local hospitals. In addition, three-fourths of the public (74%) have an unfavorable view of the legislation after hearing that the bill would increase the number of people without health insurance by about 10 million.”
