(CNN) – Thursday's Supreme Court ruling upholding President Barack Obama's health care law has Americans divided, according to the first survey following the landmark decision.
Friday's poll from USA Today/Gallup showed 46% of Americans agree with the court's ruling, with 46% saying they disagree. Opinions were predictably split along party lines: 79% of self-identified Democrats agreed with the decision to uphold the president's law, while 83% of Republicans disagreed with the ruling.
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Independents mirrored the poll's larger results – 45% agreed with the Supreme Court's decision, and 42% disagreed.
A CNN/ORC Poll taken at the end of May indicated 43% of Americans favored the Affordable Care Act, while 51% opposed the measure. Broken down, 13% said they opposed the law because it was not liberal enough, while 34% opposed it because it was too liberal.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, saying the individual mandate, while not constitutional under the Commerce Clause of the constitution, was valid if viewed as a tax.
Following the decision, Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee, renewed his vow to eliminate the law if elected president, and House Republicans scheduled a vote to repeal the measure in July. That effort, which could pass the Republican-controlled House, isn't expected to get anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
The Gallup survey taken after the court's ruling showed 31% of Americans said they wanted the entire law repealed. Twenty-one percent advocated repealing parts of the law.
Another 25% said the government's role in health care should be expanded beyond the level stipulated in Affordable Care Act.
The Gallup poll was taken June 28 by telephone from 1,012 adults. The sampling error was plus or minus four percentage points.
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Also see:
Obama campaign to opponents: Move past health care fight
Fund-raising flurry after Supreme Court ruling
From CNN Politics
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This is not a health care law. It is a series of penalties against the private sector. Government employees are paid by the taxpayers and get golden health care policies. Welfare rats that don't pay now, will just have subsidized (aka FREE) health care paid for by the taxpayers as well. The welfare nanny state is NOT promoting the general welfare of the source of all tax revenue, aka the private sector.
We need to scrap it in 2013. January 21st grant waivers to all the states. Then work to defund and repeal it. Start a new series of smaller bills that everyone can understand negotiated in the daylight.
Boy, that didn't take long...I expect the favorability to continue to improve – the republican lies, the "death panels", the "biggest tax increase in history" hooey just isn't going to fly. I think folks are going to be a little ticked when they realize how badly the republicans have been lying about the ACA.
They can keep baiting their base with the repeal and replace nonsense, they can keep up the lies, but preaching to their choir, their base isn't going to win the national elections.
This is not a perfect bill but is something to build on. It is a start in the right direction. Healthcare is out of control and needs help to get on a good track where people can afford to stay healthy, or get help when they need it. Far too many die before their time because they can't afford (or get insurance companies to pay) quality care. I am glad it passed muster and can move forward. Too bad so many will continue to make this something we will continue to be tired of hearing about. Time to move forward.
Don't like the ruling? Move to Somalia!
Obama got us out of Iraq, our economy is currently the best in the world, and finally we have the first kind of control on healthcare. He did all of this in one term. He got us out of what seemed like the worst economic disaster, and his winning returned our respect internationally and reaffirmed to the world that America is the only country that is fair to all. Finally getting Bin Ladin was the icing- our military's ability took the world's breath away. In contrast, Romney's ideas on healthcare are – in comparison to Obamacare- nonexistent and meaningless.
the havenots love it
What is WRONG with you 83% Republicans? You get auto insurance without a fuss. You make a fuss over your health which can cost you or your fellow-countrymen (especially since you are not lucky enough to be Canadian!) hundreds of thousands of dollars or slow death by denials based on flimsy excuses by insurance companies???!!! Really, what is wrong with you? You should be thanking OBAMA eternally for CARING for you! You make me sick with your self-centredness that makes you give a damn for your fellow-citizens. I have met some of you. You should really have a health care system that is as humane as ours.
They say that 31% want the law repealed, but they do not say how many are opposed to a repeal. That would be a better indicator of how many Americans really support this bill – as opposed to having no Healthcare law at all.
CNN sugar-coating.
Instead of starting down the path of nationalizing our health care, why not simplify the system we already have. Pass laws to standardize how our health records are kept, use the same form for each insurance company (just change the name), ban advertising for perscription drugs (the cost of advertising is passed to those who use the drugs), and force the Pharmacutical (sp?) companies to charge foreign customers the same price as domestic ones. Simplification would drastically reduce the beauracracy that plagues our healthcare system.
it is a place to start. Even the GOP acknowledges the system has been broken for a long time. They put nothing forward to improvement the system. Just like the republicans forced a federal mandate on the states with NCLB, which was also poorly implemented and very costly, but everyone does agree, the idea is good and they are going to work on what parts didn't work. I'm game to change my mind after the GOP does their job and come put forth a better plan (even a non-mandated plan) but I highly doubt the GOP has the nerve to do something even Hillary attempted years ago. Yes she failed, but she tried. GOP has not even tried (good leaders try).
I'm for it and now let's get the thing improved upon.
How ironic is this!
The original Baucus senate committee that came up with the Affordable Health Care Act took off the table any whisper of a universal health care system similar to Britain's and Canada's because they were convinced Americans would never stand for the increase in taxes such a system would require – only to have the Supreme Court decide this isn't an issue of interstate commerce (which it is), it's a kind of tax (which it isn't.)
Amazing.
In ObamaCare is the 80/20 rule that insurance provider must spend 80% of your premium on your health care, if not you must be refunded. This means around August 2012 over 13 million Americans will be getting a rebate from their insurance provider. Now throw in all the other provisions on Obamacare will be very popular like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
The upholding of the Affordable Health Care Act by the Supreme Court was the best thing that could happen to this country at this point in time. In the midst of recovery, America needs to know that there is a brighter, more secure future ahead of them that will not just favor the the richest 1% of the country. Basic health care, affordable and accessible by all, is the way to go. Bravo, President Obama, Supreme Court, and healthcare supporters everywhere. Now the Republicans really know what a dark, dismal corner they have painted themselves into, out of touch with most Americans, with their greed and lack of compassion fully exposed to all.
I agree 100% with it. It has been a dire need of this nation, ignored by GOP cult. These rethuglicans do not want you have healthcare, but they get as senators and congressmen, why don't you ash. Ask also senate and congressmen term-limits. God bless!!!
I've learned not to trust Obama. His Obamacare will turn into a food stamps program. As always, his solution will be to increase taxes on the rich to pay for it. Things will actually improve for democrats and they'll accomplish more if Romney becomes president.
When people understand the Obamacare and stop listening to lies more will like it!!!
So... a higher percentage approve of it than think it is too liberal...
congratulations on now being able to have universal healthcare. perhaps now the U.S. will not rank 17th in world standings in seniors care and 27th in child care.
Victory for all Americans...Victory for middle class...so, Victory for Democrats and President Obama...Cheers..
The only ones divided from the rest of the country are the tea baggers
Obamacare is unaffordable and unworkable.
Obama is going to run our health care like he ran, cash for klunkers, shovel ready jobs, solyndra, the olympic bid, stimulus,
unemployment under 8 %,fast and furiious, oh yeah i like this!