ObamaCare support back at record high: Gallup

Support for the Affordable Care Act has reached 55 percent, tying a record high, according to polling from Gallup released on Wednesday.

Support for the 2010 health care law has hovered around 51 percent for most of 2017-2019, but it previously hit the record high of 55 percent in April 2017 as congressional Republicans moved to repeal President Obama’s signature legislation. A bill to repeal and replace the law passed the House around that time before failing in the Senate.

The law never reached 50 percent support during Obama’s presidency, and support for it hit a record low of 37 percent in November 2014 shortly after Republicans took control of the Senate. Support increased slightly in 2015 and 2016, with 42 percent approving of it in November 2016, the final survey of the Obama administration.

Since President Trump took office, at least 50 percent have supported the Affordable Care Act in all but one survey, taken in November 2018, which saw it dip to 48 percent.

The 2020 poll comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the nation. Cases have surged nationwide as the death toll approaches 300,000.

Gallup found that among those who disapprove of ObamaCare, a significantly higher percentage, 68 percent, favor outright replacing the law, compared to 29 percent who favor keeping the legislation in place with major changes. Twenty percent of overall respondents approve of the current law and think changes to it are unnecessary, while 34 percent who said they approve said they would want alterations to the law.

Respondents had a clear partisan split, with 60 percent of Republicans disapproving of ObamaCare and favoring its repeal compared to 59 percent of Democrats who support the law and want changes made to improve it.

Ninety-four percent of Democrats support the law in general, compared to 13 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of independents.

Pollsters surveyed 1,018 American adults from Nov. 5 to 19 for the poll. It has a 4-point margin of error.