With less than three weeks to enroll in ObamaCare, support is growing for the president’s signature law, according to a new poll.
A survey released Tuesday from CNN and ORC showed that 39 percent of Americans support the Affordable Care Act, up from 35 percent in December. A majority — 57 percent — still say they oppose the law, down from 62 percent in December.
{mosads}But while most Americans do not support the law, there are still encouraging signs for the White House.
Of those surveyed, 12 percent say they oppose the program because it’s not liberal enough. That means that, combined with the 39 percent who back the law, a majority of Americans either favor the law or want it to go further.
And the recent uptick in support has been driven by more educated and affluent respondents, who are among the most likely to vote. Among those who make $50,000 or more per year, support rose from 36 percent to 46 percent over the past two months.
“The same pattern holds true for college education — virtually no change among people who never went to college, but a 9-point change among those who did,” said CNN polling director Keating Holland.
The rebound comes as the administration is feverishly attempting to sign up consumers for healthcare plans, hoping to regain ground lost during the disastrous rollout late last year that was plagued by technical glitches and messaging missteps.
On Tuesday, Obama promoted the law during an appearance on comedian Zach Galifianakis’s Web talk show “Between Two Ferns.”
On Monday, White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters he rejected the notion that most Americans wanted the law repealed.
“The majority supports fixing it and improving it, not repealing it,” Carney said.
“Republicans in Congress fought it tooth and nail,” he continued. “It went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld it. It was the principal argument in a presidential election. The president won reelection.”
Carney also argued that the law wouldn’t be an anchor on Democratic candidates, such as Democrat Alex Sink, who is vying in Tuesday night’s special election to replace the late Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.).
“Candidates out there who are supporting a law that provides affordable, quality health insurance to millions of Americans, including millions who haven’t had it in the past, we believe they have a pretty clear case to make against the argument for repeal, which is basically an argument in favor of empowering the insurance companies at the expense of individuals,” Carney said.