CNN Poll: Support for Obamacare slightly edges up
Washington (CNN) - Support for the country's new health care law appears to be rebounding slightly, according to a new national poll.
A CNN/ORC International survey released Tuesday indicates that nearly all of the increased support comes from upper-income and college-educated Americans.
The poll's Tuesday release comes on the same day that a special election is being held in Florida's 13th Congressional District to fill a vacant U.S. House seat. Obamacare has become a major issue in the competitive contest to fill the remainder of the term of the late GOP Rep. Bill Young.
According to the poll, 39% of Americans say they support the health care law, up from 35% in December, a record low in CNN polling. The uptick of four percentage points is within the survey's sampling error. Fifty-seven percent of those questioned say they oppose the measure, down five points from December.
"Not all of the opposition to the health care law comes from the right," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Thirty-nine percent say they oppose the law because it's too liberal, but 12% say they oppose it because it's not liberal enough."
That means half the public either favors Obamacare, or opposes it doesn't go far enough. Roughly 6% oppose the law but don't have an opinion on whether it is too liberal or not liberal enough.
The poll indicates that the rebound in support for Obamacare has come almost entirely among upscale Americans. The law made no headway among people who make less than $50,000 - 35% of them supported it in December, and 35% support it now. But among people who make $50,000 or more, support rose from 36% to 46%.
"The same pattern holds true for college education - virtually no change among people who never went to college, but a nine-point change among those who did," Holland adds.
The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International from Friday through Sunday, with 801 adults nationwide questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
- CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
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Obamacare can't make things much worse or expensive from what we currently have. Our overall healthcare is ranked 35 in the world. 35th IN THE WORLD! Yes the rich people get the best healthcare in the world but the poor people get 2 world healthcare at best!
What the poll does not give are the reasons why people do not support it. There are people who think only rich people deserve health care, but there are also many other people who would like to see universal healthcare like what exists in every other civilized nation. The primary reason for its lack of support is that it is a half measure.
I wouldn't call 39% a stirring endorsement...
Weren't there something like 45 million uninsured people in the U.S. that needed insurance? If about 6 million have signed up, where are the other 39 million people needing insurance?
While a 39% approval rating for the Affordable Care Act is low, it's still substantially higher than the 17% Congressional approval rating.
A CNN poll…..yeah, that's credible.
I'm just curious to see a poll of how many are not affected by Obamacare. My plan with my employer, which is less than 20 people, hasn't changed a bit. I've gone to my dentist and my medical doctor, and my co pay is the same, as is my plan. So I'd be curious to see a percentage of Americans that are like me in my case. I hope I would never loose it and have to go through what many Americans are going through in finding it for the first time on their own, but if that were to happen then so be it. The over all health of our society is what prevents something like the black plague, polio, or scarlet fever, and other detrimental disease from taking hold in a society and wiping it out as it did back in the early part of the 20th Century in Europe. In my opinion.
If your Congress wasn't so damn obstructionist you Americans would have the same universal healthcare that every other first world country has and enjoys.
@Jerry – Lets see, if...
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If the Republican Party approval rating were even CLOSE TO HALF of the "46%" overall approval ratings of the POTUS, then you might have a point. Just saying.......
Remember in November that it was Democrats that did this to you.
So, people who never went to college or belong to low income groups have more unfavorable opinion of Obamacare?, This is the reliable GOP voting block paradox. Gets all the federal subsidies and welfare checks but doesn't want the big government.
@Tea Partier – Our overall healthcare is ranked 35 in the world. 35th IN THE WORLD!
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Per the latest WHO rankings, we are 37th!!! Right up there with Cost Rica.. BEHIND such super powers as Andorra, Iceland, Luxembourg and the Dominican Republic. Which, co-incidentally, are all politically socialist..
CNN Poll, just in, 100% of the people were LIED TO about the ACA.
What I would like to know is.... Why are the people that don't think the law goes far enough grouped in with the people that don't want the law at all? It seems to me those that don't think it goes far enough are more for it than against it. That seems disingenuous at best. But that's the GOP with the help of their MSM, spin, twist words and take things out of context. And it's very easy to do because the Democratic party are nothing but a bunch of eunuchs. The only people in the party with a pair are, President Obama, AG Holder, Hillary and Nancy Pelosi. The rest are nothing but a pack of cowards.
SS, Medicare, now Obamacare will not be repealed. Just get over with this. Because these are national dire needs. Instead of being pessimists be optimists, folks. SC is not crazy to upheld this ACA Law. Don't listen to GOP greedy garbage. God bless!!!!!!
These lefties who oppose Obamacare because it isn't that misnamed single-payer option, had better get used to the fact that because of the debacle of this rollout, it will be years (if ever) before single-payer happens here.
If our "representatives" actually represented the people we wouldn't be taking this poll because it shouldn't be law. The people never supported it and some of the people on here need to do some research as poor people get health insurance...look it up it's called Medicaid. What needed fixed was tort reform, pre-existing conditions, prescription costs, and affordable healthcare for working americans... A lot of the effect on this law is creating more dependency of individuals on government for subsidies and lack of drive to work more then receive less help. A lot of us that were lucky enough to have good insurance are now getting it taken away OR re-evaluated. My employer is lowing our coverage on our next review I was already warned of... There needed to be changes but this needed to be worked on more instead of rushing this like throwing something on the wall to see if sticks. There are consequences that we are seeing now and quite honestly most lawmakers had no clue because most of them didn't read a lot of the bill.
Headline should be "Over Half Support ACA or Think It Should Go Farther".
...and when the Employer Mandate kicks in, a 39% drop in approval is forecasted.
What, in the four year implementation and recent sign-up of the ACA, gives any indication that this law is going to meet even the lowest expectations advertised by Democrats and the Federal Government?
Dan wrote:
We have blown up the system to help 15% of the people by punishing 85% of the people. Nice
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What's changed? Two things. A minimum standard of performance has been defined for insurance plans, which is new. Second, your 85% of people who are now being punished are actually being punished less now. Because your 15% used to be health care shoplifters, who paid nothing at all, but now they pay something, which is new.
So, if you wish to go back to allowing your 15% to able to shoplift health care services at your expense, then you're going to run into stiff opposition. More and more people are beginning to figure that bit out, and more and more are realizing that repealing the law means more millions would be affected by its' repeal than by its' being enacted.
Simple..... Our Government is inept! Obamacare takes away from people more than it gives...... and #1 on the list is..... Obama LIED to us!
With luck, we might have as many insured after the ACA, as before the ACA.
Independent Thinker
...and when the Employer Mandate kicks in, a 39% drop in approval is forecasted.
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Those same folks had also forecast that not renewing the Bush Tax Cuts would result in the extinction of the U.S. economy.
All you naysayers... read the article better. 39% support it, and 12% who oppose don't think it goes far enough. That means that 51% of people want the ACA or something more toward single-payer universal. Last time I checked, 51% was a majority.