Public Opinion and Survey Research

The October Kaiser Health Tracking Poll focuses on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) marketplaces as the November 1st open enrollment period approaches, amidst a period of uncertainty on the future of the individual market. The survey finds the majority of the public think it is more important for President Trump and Congress to work on legislation to stabilize the marketplaces rather than continue efforts to repeal and replace the ACA. A majority – across parties – also support a bipartisan compromise that includes Congress guaranteeing cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to insurance companies.

The survey gauges the public’s knowledge and views about Puerto Rico’s recovery efforts following the devastating category 4 hurricane that struck Sept. 20. Most Americans say that Puerto Ricans affected by Hurricane Maria are not yet getting the help they need, and about half say that the federal government has been too slow to respond and is not doing enough to restore electricity and access to food and water. Republicans are much more likely than Democrats or independents to view the federal response as appropriate.

Poll Reveals a Deep Partisan Divide in Perceptions, with Republicans Much More Likely Than Democrats and Independents to View the Federal Government’s Response Favorably As President Trump threatens to scale back the federal response to help Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria, most Americans say that Puerto Ricans affected by…

This interactive includes nationally representative polls of adults in the U.S. that ask about views of plans to replace the Affordable Care Act. See the interactive table for variations in question wording as well as the individual polls included.

This poll finds large majorities across all parties say reauthorizing funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is an important priority for Congress; however, a larger share of Republicans also say it is important for Congress to work on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). This month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll also examines public support for a variety of competing health care policies aimed at improving or replacing the 2010 health care law, including single-payer.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Kaiser Family Foundation polling has found the public divided in their overall views of the law. At the same time, an intensity gap in opinion has existed since 2010, with the share of the public holding strongly unfavorable views of the law outnumbering the share with strongly favorable views. A new analysis of Kaiser Family Foundation polling data finds that intensity gap began to close in spring 2017. The share with a “very favorable” view is now roughly equal to the share with a “very unfavorable” view.

Following the U.S. Senate’s failed vote on the “skinny repeal”, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that the majority of the public say it is a “good thing” that the Senate did not pass the bill that would have repealed and replaced the ACA. A large share of Americans think President Trump and his administration should do what they can to make the current health care law work and a majority of the public want to see bipartisan efforts to improve the 2010 health care law. However, about half of Republicans and Trump supporters would like to see Republicans in Congress keep working on a plan to repeal the ACA, and most Republicans and Trump supporters endorse using hard-ball tactics to encourage Democrats to start negotiating with President Trump on a replacement plan. The majority of the public are also unaware that health insurance companies choosing not to sell insurance plans or charging higher premiums in certain marketplaces only affect those who purchase their own insurance on these marketplaces.

Most Republicans Are “Disappointed” But Not “Angry” That Repeal-and-Replace Legislation Did Not Pass Senate After the Senate’s failure to pass legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that eight in 10 Americans (78%) say President Trump and his administration should do…

In partnership with The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted the Survey of Rural America to gauge the views and experiences of people living in small towns and rural areas across the United States, and how they are similar or different from those in urban and suburban settings. This brief explores where health care fits in rural residents’ political views, including attitudes toward Republican plans to repeal and replace the ACA as well as views of Medicaid. It also examines how rural Americans’ health care experiences compare with their urban and suburban counterparts.