According to poll by CNN/ORC released Tuesday, the country is sharply divided on the replacement or maintenance of Obamacare and its Individual Mandate, the main foundation of the Affordable Care Act, approved in 2010.
The individual mandate demands all citizens have health insurance or be subjected to a penalty. Those who can not afford to pay for the coverage receive tax credits, according to their income. The data show that 50 percent of Americans oppose removing the individual mandate while 48 percent favor changes on that issue.
Other provisions
The poll also shows resistance on reductions in the Medicaid program as proposed by the Republicans in the Congress. For 61 percent of the respondents, there must not have any changes in Medicaid. Another point of convergence is on the maintenance of the protection for those with pre-existing conditions, on the grounds established by ObamaCare -- 87 percent favor keeping the current rules.
A new fracture arises when the topic is a shift in the tax credits policy. Today, the subsidies are based on income. A new proposal, which would consider age instead, is supported by 46 percent of the public; 50 percent oppose it.
Quite the opposite, a new provision proposed by President Trump to allow health insurers to sell coverage countrywide, regardless of which state the companies are licensed is heavily supported.
That could increase competition and reduce prices and gathers 66 percent of support while is opposed by a third.
As a whole, Obamacare has 46 percent of support and 49 percent of opposition. In January, a similar poll found 54 percent of the people in favor of the law.
Dissatisfaction
No matter what is thought of the Affordable Care Act, the public showed some discontent with their current health insurances, whether it is about costs or quality.
Americans complain more today than they did in 2009 when Obamacare wasn't enacted yet. According to the poll, the satisfaction with the quality of the health services offered by insurers is down by 4 percentage points, from 82 percent in 2009 to 78 percent now.
The price paid for the coverage is a matter of dissatisfaction for the majority of 53 percent, up from 48 percent who expressed such concerns in 2009. The CNN/ORC poll was conducted by phone, between March 1-4, in a sample of 1.025 adults nationwide. The margin of sampling error is of plus or minus 3 percent.
