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The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll examines the opinions of seniors and the public about Medicare and the federal budget deficit, a topic of heightened interest these days as policymakers in Washington focus on ways to bring down Medicare spending as part of efforts to reduce the deficit. The poll also provides an early look at the views of registered voters and the potential role health care might play in the upcoming presidential election cycle.…
Regular readers of the Kaiser Health Tracking poll know by now that public opinion on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been at a steady cruising altitude since it was signed into law on March 23, 2010, with a little over four in ten viewing the law favorably and a similar share unfavorably. But, has public opinion on the law since passage been more turbulent for different groups of Americans, for example, those with lower…
The Public Expects Parts Of The Affordable Care Act To Continue Whatever The Court Rules Two Years After Passage The Public Is Evenly Divided On The Law, Split Sharply Along Partisan Lines MENLO PARK, Calif. -- The requirement that nearly everyone obtain health insurance or pay a fine has long been Americans’ least favorite part of the health reform law, and their views on what the Supreme Court should do about that key provision, known…
This Data Note draws from the March 2012 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll and examines people's impressions of how the law and the Court case will affect them, focusing primarily on those groups that are in the position to receive the greatest benefits. For the most part, those that stand to benefit most are not more likely than others to expect to be better off under the law, or to feel that the Supreme Court's decision…
For the two years since the law's passage, and during the debate leading up to it, the individual mandate has been one of the most controversial aspects of the law. As the lawyers, policy makers, ACA opponents and supporters focus intently on the Supreme Court hearings, this Data Note looks at what the general public thinks of the mandate, explores the reasons why favorability ratings have been so low, and suggests that while opinion on…
The latest Kaiser Health Tracking poll finds that amid a public debate about contraceptive coverage in insurance plans, 63 percent of Americans support a new federal requirement that plans include no-cost birth control, while a third oppose it. Catholics split along similar lines, but there’s a big partisan divide, including among women: 85 percent of women who are Democrats support the requirement, compared with 42 percent of women who are Republicans. The public is also divided…
This month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll reveals little change in public opinion about the health reform law. Americans remain divided overall, with 42 percent having a favorable opinion of the law and 44 percent viewing it unfavorably. Three in ten continue to want to see the law expanded, while roughly one in five want it either kept as is (21%), repealed and replaced with a GOP alternative (19%), or repealed outright (19%). Americans continue to…
Most Americans oppose the idea of converting Medicaid to block grant financing to reduce the federal deficit, and more than half want to see no reductions at all in Medicaid spending. One in five adults has received Medicaid benefits over time, and for most, experiences were positive, although one third of them report having had problems finding a doctor. The findings come at a time of intense public debate in Washington about the future of…
As Congress and the president debate different approaches to reducing the deficit, the April Kaiser Health Tracking Poll indicates that initial public reaction is fairly evenly split when a premium support/voucher program like the one in House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s "Path to Prosperity" proposal is described, but seniors prefer to keep the current Medicare system by a 2‐to‐1 margin. Meanwhile, public opinion on the health reform law remains remarkably steady. The April poll…
Little has changed since President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. The March Health Tracking Poll finds that the public continues to report that they are confused about the law, say they don’t have enough information on how the law will affect them, and remain divided in their views of the law. Further, the stark partisan gap persists. In terms of next steps for the law, Americans like the…
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