Following the first open enrollment period for the new health insurance exchanges, a majority of Americans still have a negative view of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Although the PPACA exchanges have succeeded in enrolling more than 7 million people so far and the uninsured rate has reached its lowest level since 2008 (15.6 percent), the public's attitude toward the reform law has remained generally negative and relatively unchanged over the past year, according to Gallup. Currently, 54 percent of Americans disapprove of the law, while 43 percent approve. Furthermore, 45 percent of Americans expect the law to worsen the healthcare situation in the U.S. in the long run, on par with poll findings from last June.
Additionally, 64 percent of those polled say their personal healthcare situation hasn't been affected by the PPACA so far. Fifteen percent say the law has helped them, while 18 percent report it has hurt them. In the long run, 42 percent expect the law won't make much difference to their personal healthcare situation. Republicans' views have notably shifted in the past month or so: A survey conducted Feb. 28 to March 1 found 23 percent thought the law wouldn't affect them much, compared with 43 percent in the most recent Gallup survey. "Perhaps with more of the law's provisions now in effect, and little evidence it has actually hurt their healthcare situation, Republicans' views may be more informed by their experience rather than their negative opinions about the law more generally," the latest Gallup poll states.
Overall, the poll's finding that Americans' basic opinions of the PPACA have remained stable following the first open enrollment period suggests many people have already made up their minds about the law. Its implementation might not change how they feel. However, key provisions of the law such as the employer mandate still haven't taken effect, and they have the potential to change the public's views, according to Gallup.
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