Gallup: Public Gives Congress No Clear Guidance on ACA Reform

Via Gallup

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • No majority support for any single approach to reform
  • 44% want to keep ACA but make significant changes
  • Slight majority of Americans (53%) approve of the ACA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawmakers return to the Hill this week with no clear directive from the American people on how to handle healthcare reform. The largest segment, 44%, wants significant changes to the existing Affordable Care Act law while keeping it in place. Another 30% favors repealing and replacing the law — in line with Republican lawmakers’ intention — while 23% of Americans want to keep the law as is.

Public Remains Split on Best Approach to the Affordable Care Act
If you had to choose, would you rather keep the Affordable Care Act in place largely as it is, keep the Affordable Care Act in place but make significant changes to it, or repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a new healthcare plan?
  Keep as is Keep but make changes Repeal and replace
  % % %
U.S. adults 23 44 30
Democrats 39 55 4
Independents 23 48 25
Republicans 6 23 70
GALLUP, JULY 5-9, 2017

 

These latest data, from a July 5-9 Gallup poll, reflect a similar lack of consensus on the issue as in April when Gallup last asked the question.

In May, the House of Representatives narrowly approved a bill to repeal and replace parts of the ACA, but Senate Republicans have not yet settled on a bill that would pass in their chamber.

Republican lawmakers’ efforts to repeal and replace the law are in line with the preferences of GOP supporters in the U.S., 70% of whom favor that approach. Meanwhile, 23% of Republicans prefer to keep the act and make significant changes, and just 6% want the ACA to stay in place largely as it is.

A majority of Democrats (55%) would like to make significant changes to the ACA, while 39% would like to keep the ACA in place largely as it is. Few Democrats (4%) support repealing and replacing the law.

Nearly half of independents, 48%, would like to keep the ACA and make changes to it. The remainder of independents divide nearly equally between favoring a repeal or leaving the law in place as is.