Poll: Most disapprove of ObamaCare repeal efforts

A majority of the public disapproves of congressional efforts to repeal and replace ObamaCare, according to a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

According to the survey released early Wednesday morning, 55 percent of the public has an unfavorable view of the House-passed American Health Care Act. The same percentage said they want the Senate to either make major changes to the House bill or not pass it all.  

The Senate is currently weighing how to proceed, and whether to ignore the House and write its own bill from scratch. Committee staff are working on draft legislation to jumpstart discussions when senators return to Washington next week, but underlying issues about Medicaid, insurance coverage and Planned Parenthood have yet to be solved. 

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An analysis of the House legislation from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that 23 million people would lose insurance, and senators are struggling to make sure their legislation covers more. The CBO also predicted steep premium increases for older consumers and many people with pre-existing conditions.

According to the poll, partisanship is the main driver behind support for either ObamaCare or the AHCA, with a majority of Republicans viewing the AHCA favorably (67 percent), while a majority of Democrats view the Affordable Care Act favorably (78 percent). 

Yet almost three quarters of the public (74 percent) said they think it is “likely” that the president and Congress will repeal and replace ObamaCare. Most Republicans (60 percent) said they think the bill should pass as is, or with minor changes. Half of Democrats (51 percent) said the Senate shouldn’t pass the bill at all.

The poll also addressed public views on the personal impact of ObamaCare repeal. Nearly half of those surveyed said they think their families’ health costs will get worse under the replacement plan, up from 28 percent who said so in December. About a third also said that they expect both their quality of care and their access to care to get worse.

The poll was conducted among a nationally representative random telephone sample of 1,205 adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample.