Americans’ views about the Affordable Care Act are more positive now than they were last fall, although overall attitudes remain more negative than positive. Half of Americans now disapprove of the 2010 law, while 44% approve — the narrowest gap since October 2013. By comparison, last November, just after the strong Republican showing in the midterm elections, 56% of Americans disapproved and 37% approved.
Americans’ support of the Affordable Care Act has fluctuated substantially in recent years, reaching as high as 48% in November 2012, just after President Barack Obama was re-elected, and dropping to as low as 38% in January 2014 and 37% last November. The latest update, based on interviewing conducted April 1-4, shows that Americans have returned to the more positive evaluation of a year and a half ago — albeit one that remains net negative. The shift in attitudes over the past four months may reflect the public’s awareness of data showing that the percentage of Americans who are uninsured has dropped substantially since the ACA-mandated open enrollment periods for obtaining insurance began to take effect.
Although opinions of the ACA have become somewhat more positive, Americans’ attitudes about the law’s impact on their own personal healthcare have not shown much change. The majority of Americans continue to say the law has had no effect on their healthcare so far, while the percentage who say it has hurt their situation continues to be marginally higher than the percentage who say it has helped.
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