Support for Health Care Law at New Low

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new poll tonight finding a significant drop in favorable views of the new federal health care law, to their lowest since the law was passed in March 2010.
Just 34 percent of Americans now view the Affordable Care Act favorably, down 7 points from last month. (It was about this low, 35 percent, in July 2010). Fifty-one percent now view the law unfavorably, numerically a new high (likewise, by one point).
Kaiser says the drop occurred mainly among Democrats, who, while they still are more supportive of the law than are other Americans, have grown less so. It suggests glum economic views are a factor and also notes persistent criticism of the law in the GOP debates.
Just 18 percent of Americans now think the law will improve things for them personally, down from 27 percent in September. And just 28 percent think it’ll make things better for the country - another new low, and down from 38 percent.
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We want single payer!!!!!!
Posted by: focusonjobs1 | October 28, 2011, 12:25 am 12:25 am
I agree, we need single payer..if the GOP push and repeal this that’s the next fight..especially since their new ‘tax plans’ essentially are going to charge people a VAT tax..we in America seem to be dumb enough to pay for it and get absolutely nothing in return..and so far that’s all the GOP seem to be offering.
Posted by: D | October 28, 2011, 1:34 am 1:34 am
Nancy Pelosi said “we have to pass it to see whats in it” . Now that we found out whats in it, we hate it! The law puts low income people on medicaid and offers an average $2,400 a year tax credit you may claim on your 1040 for past tax year! So you must pay full price for your monthly insurance payments! I don’t think the credit is even a refundable credit, so if your tax due is $1,500 that will also be the amount of your Obamacare credit! BIG DEAL! Not much help when your paying $12,000 a year for insurance!!! Obamacare is a cruel joke on people who can’t afford to buy insurance, they still can’t afford it!!! THANKS OBAMA!!!!
Posted by: RadioMan77 | October 28, 2011, 1:54 am 1:54 am
Single payer is the only way to go. In Japan, 100% of the insurance is private, but they still put it through a single network. Standardize basic care and then pay extra for supplemental. That will greatly reduce the paperwork that eats up 25% of American healthcare costs compared to 2-3% in other countries. Those of us old enough remember when a couple doctors had one nurse/receptionist working in the office. Now the largest part of the office is accounting.
Posted by: The_Mick | October 28, 2011, 2:28 am 2:28 am
What is really bad we wasted 18 months on this while the economy is in the tank. 2400 pages of Pelosi nothing and Obam signs it.
Posted by: specialty57 | October 28, 2011, 3:36 am 3:36 am
People who are against it have no idea it’s helping them already. THEY ARE STUPID.
Posted by: Tom | October 28, 2011, 4:34 am 4:34 am
Obama and his lemming supportrers have no clue whatsoever. They continue to prove this. They rammed this bill through against what america wanted. They didn’t try and get republican support. Now they are surprised americans are against it. Now that is the real definition of stupidity!
Posted by: jonny | October 28, 2011, 6:33 am 6:33 am
“People who are against it have no idea it’s helping them already. THEY ARE STUPID.” ———- Yeah. Especially those STUPID people without jobs. Because businesses loooove it. Really lowers their costs. That’s why we have so much hiring going on and such low unemployment. (Roll eyes…)
Posted by: Logicsgood5 | October 28, 2011, 7:17 am 7:17 am
I suppose we’re just stupid folks who simply don’t appreciate Barry, Nancy and Harry’s absolute brilliance. We really don’t deserve them!
Posted by: Logicsgood5 | October 28, 2011, 7:23 am 7:23 am
Let their bodies be insured by this mess and there will definately be some changes made. they don’t have the same insurance we have.
Posted by: Cheryl | October 28, 2011, 8:15 am 8:15 am
We now find out today that the totally misnamed “Affordable Health Care Act” punishes women for being married. If otherwise qualified for tax-payer supported insurance due to low income and she marries, the addition of her husband’s income means that she no longer qualifies and must pay for her own insurance while any unmarried woman with identical qualifying income does not.
Posted by: wantingbalance | October 28, 2011, 8:17 am 8:17 am
Its time for impeachment.
Posted by: billy bob | October 28, 2011, 8:32 am 8:32 am
Two years. Two years wasted on a piece of junk just to satisfy Ted. The entire nation was begging for jobs. So, where are we today? No jobs. A piece of trash health care bill. Typical political move. Politicians are not clear thinkers. They are merely reactionaries reacting to any one crisis which might endanger their “jobs”.
Posted by: Salty | October 28, 2011, 8:53 am 8:53 am
What is the alternative to single payer? What we have now. Incredibly high deductibles and premiums. Co-insurance is ridiculous at 70-80%. How many people can afford chemotherapy or hospital costs with an extended illness? Charities and churches and families cannot do what a single payer system could. Again, the GOP and libertarians continue to try and kill any sort of healthcare for all. What will happen to them if they get sick and go broke from going through their savings? Will their families and their churches cover thousands of dollars for their costs? I doubt it. Definitely not if they are already strapped by other costs.
Posted by: Bob | October 28, 2011, 8:55 am 8:55 am
I just got notice from my company of new premiums for health insurance. It has doubled due in part to this wonderful new healthcare law. Thanks Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. You are a bunch of major idiots.
Posted by: Terry | October 28, 2011, 8:59 am 8:59 am
universal healthcare…if people want (or are fortunate to have) their private insurance keep it. For those who don’t have access to employee-sponsored insurance or are unable to afford private coverage then universal coverage. Equality!!!! 6% payroll tax to cover the cost – shouldn’t be free – but there should be an alternative. I work but can’t get insurance, I work but can’t afford a private insurance plan….so I get nothing. My tax dollars pay for others – why can’t I have something?
Posted by: Mary | October 28, 2011, 9:14 am 9:14 am
9 months of no prduction from congress. A three ring circus with absolutely no production. Just a a bunch of Obama’s spending too much,we don’t like him and anything he stands for. Republicans have had control of the house since what january and this is all they come up with.People standing in an unemployment line,most of them for no fault of their own and all herman cain can say is “if you don’t have a job it’s your own fault. that’s what he said in so many words. And people wonder why congress hasn’t produced anything but hot air.The mentality of herman cain says alot about why congress can’t and won’t produce a jobs bill that doesn’t require spending.
Posted by: minds12 | October 28, 2011, 9:35 am 9:35 am
There is a lot of good stuff in this bill. All you people are sheeps to the health care industry Mafia which is making up the rules and charging whatever they feel like..and we pay with our money and our lives. The government is not going to take all your money..it will be a medical bill for $200,000 that wipes out your whole life’s savings. These people are criminals and they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. All other industrialized countries have better healthcare and pay less than we do. This bill should not be repealed by the do nothing republicans but strengthened to protect us from these vultures.
Posted by: brian | October 28, 2011, 9:50 am 9:50 am
Where were these people when Barack, Nancy and Harry told them to “pass it” so we can see what’s in it. What did you think would happen? Barack don’t care what you think because you are not smart enough to know what’s good for you, your lucky he does! Stop the stinkin’ complaining peons.
Posted by: ray | October 28, 2011, 10:20 am 10:20 am
We still need the healthcare law and although it’s not what I wanted, single payer with choice just like Congress gets, I want the law improved, not repealed. You may not need healthcare now but at some point, everyone will. Why does Congress get what American citizens cannot? Keep the healthcare law but add the single payer option.
Posted by: Mary | October 28, 2011, 10:22 am 10:22 am
We already have single payer, the individual. The alternative is the free market, not what we have now but the free market, you get the healthcare you can afford, as a result of not being able to spend other peoples money at the all you can eat buffet of American Healthcare prices drop. No artificial demand, created by the government, no high prices..
Posted by: snewsom2997 | October 28, 2011, 10:24 am 10:24 am
It will be taken down column by column. What an absolute waste of time.
Posted by: newcountryman | October 28, 2011, 10:24 am 10:24 am
Feel strongly that most have no clue as to what’s in bill, but when asked to comment respond because they don’t want to look foolish. Easy to bash a potential government program when EVERYTHING the government does (or doesn’t do) is criticised in the media.
Posted by: Paul | October 28, 2011, 10:28 am 10:28 am
With the line 30 or so on the1040, I’m surprised anyone likes it. But some people just can’t get on without government in their life.
Posted by: newcountryman | October 28, 2011, 10:31 am 10:31 am
Stop and think about the fundamentals: Other countries are not comprised of competing states with stipulated rights – so their insurance companies are on level playing fields. Other countries do not have $300 Million dollar court awards for “mishandled” hangnails. Other countries NEVER had the business competitive environment of the USA. By asking the FEDERAL government to become involved in a comprehensive plan for 300 Million people we cannot possibly get anything to satisfy anyone. A truly competitive environment – free of ANY governmental interference – with limited malpractice awards and competition by insurance companies across all state lines – will lead to pricing that is acceptable and maintain the best healthcare delivery system in the world. NO OTHER COUNTRY takes care of everyone as well as USA – I know – I’ve been in other countries.
Posted by: 50togo | October 28, 2011, 11:13 am 11:13 am
You democrats got what you wanted. Still youre not happy. You should not have settled and this is what your party made you do!
Posted by: Get Real | October 28, 2011, 11:15 am 11:15 am
No Newcountry – The only things they’ll “take down” are the parts where insurance has to spend 80% on care and they’ll allow them to throw sick people off again over some stupid glitch from 7 years prior. They’ll keep that mandate. Watch em. They’ll take down everything that protects the citizen.
Posted by: Secondlook | October 28, 2011, 11:16 am 11:16 am
Well sure on one wants it. Obama and the democrats two biggest promises in signing it into laws were; Reduced costs and everyone is covered. The bill they passed doesn’t do either. Medicare costs have almost doubled since this bill was signed. Not only that, the bill is viewed as a job killer. Especially for smaller businesses, who now have 2,000 pages of legislation and regulation they have to go through before they can hire anyone. This bill was a disaster for the economy.
Posted by: john | October 28, 2011, 11:18 am 11:18 am
What’s really amazing is that parts of the bill are already helping people but their too ignorant to know it. Unless you’ve been turned down for insurance or had to pay enormous rates because of a previous illness, you don’t know what you’ve gained. All of you whiners will eventually figure it out. You sit on your big butts watching television and have no idea what’s happening behind the scenes.
JOHN: your wrong, it has reduced costs for those that need it. Guess yours is paid by your employer!
Posted by: SinTexas | October 28, 2011, 12:21 pm 12:21 pm
Only the most ignorant or fanatic of Obama voters support Obamacare..
Posted by: Tom Jefferson | October 28, 2011, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
As long as current payroll deduction have been existing by Government, it’s absolutely stupidity to be discussing Health plan deduction for the public when the Govt. can just increase deduction for the public premium base Health Plan… After all Social Security is already a mandate contribution…
In Minnesota, you have to earn bellow $681.00 to qualify for MA (State Medical Assistant) as an individual with no dependant relative and $908 as disabled. Yet MN has one of the best State Health care’s plan in the country…
Now if for years, individual have been earning income and paying into social Security for past years with no health Insurance. The reason is that he/she is not gainfully employed in a company that qualifies him/her for Health Insurance. Why not federal/State be taking from his pay check to create automatic premium deduction in the Social Security deduction for a plan where the individual will not have to quality for MA Assistant benefit until he /she is a destitute.
Individual mandate should not have been made a Gospel if the Social Security, which I considered after destitution or Death Health care, includes a feature that just take a portion as individual premium and made the Insurance out of it… After all, he /she that works will pay premium under the Obama Care kick in.
I do not see why the mandate is a problem when all working American is already mandated to pay into Social Security.
Now, the unemployed or disabled, yet not qualify for Medicare have been paying social security and not qualify for Health care is totally nonsense… Why do I need Social Security Medicare only when I come to a distant age of 65 years when I have to be healthy every day? It is when you survive today through good Health Care, that one gets benefit of the contributions into Social Security… I think we must start the deduction from individual pay check into a Health plan , then into Social Security in other of priority even if social security deduction have to increase.
Posted by: G Ogbeide | October 31, 2011, 6:55 am 6:55 am
Over half of those who disapprove of the Obama bill do so because IT DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH and left the insurance industry in control and robbing us blind – premiums and deductibles continue to rise.
WE NEED SINGLE PAYER – MEDICARE FOR ALL to cover everyone and HELP THE ECONOMY. It will free people to look for work best suited to them, rather than for health coverage, and to have it between jobs. It will save small business the burden of trying to compete for workers when they can’t afford to offer insurance. We will SAVE BILLIONS now going to useless middlemen instead of paying doctors and hospitals. Individuals will save and be able to buy things they really need, a REAL stimulus.
Sadly, the private insurance companies have spent millions lobbing and buying our elected officials to prevent the reform we need.
Posted by: Sally | October 31, 2011, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm
Obama had to lie through his teeth to get this passed and a lot of bribes were given to senate Dems as well. Admit it lefties, it’s a failure.
Posted by: Whitehouse Janitor | November 2, 2011, 8:15 am 8:15 am