Questions and Observations

Very interesting survey concerning ObamaCare.  Kaiser Family Foundation does a monthly tracking poll.  Their October poll yielded some surprise results.  Note that this comes as we have been learning more and more about the details of the ObamaCare law:

• After remaining roughly evenly split for most of the last year and a half, this month’s tracking poll found more of the public expressing negative views towards the law. In October, about half (51%) say they have an unfavorable view of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), while 34 percent have a favorable view, a low point in Kaiser polls since the law was passed. While Democrats continue to be substantially more supportive of the law than independents or Republicans, the change in favorability this month was driven by waning enthusiasm for the law among Democrats, among whom the share with a favorable view dropped from nearly two-thirds in September to just over half (52%) in October.

• Americans are more than twice as likely this month to say the law won’t make much difference for them and their families as they are to say they’ll be better off under the law.  Forty-four percent say health reform won’t make much difference to them personally, up from 34 percent in September. Meanwhile 18 percent say they and their families will be better off, down from 27 percent last month. (The share who thinks they’ll be worse off personally held steady at roughly three in ten, where it has been since the law passed in 2010.) Here, too, changes in views among Democrats helped shape the overall change. 

That’s a bit of a sea-change on the Democratic side.

It’s also significant for another reason.  It makes the case for repeal stronger.  While Republicans have always been against it, that’s been fairly easy for Democrats to wave off.  Indies are a little harder to wave off.  But when other Democrats are less supportive of the law, to the point that fewer and fewer have an favorable view of the law, well that makes it increasingly harder for Democrats to justify keeping it.

Something is causing their support to erode and the GOP needs to figure out what it is and use it to make their case.

As election time nears, this is an issue they can use as a secondary one to the economy.  It was unpopular when it passed.  It has remained mostly unpopular and, with this sort of poll, we see the unpopularity expanding into Democratic ranks.  It appears it is something the GOP could get majority consensus on.

~McQ

Twitter: @McQandO