Gallup Polls: ACA Support Up, Uninsureds Down

Support for the Affordable Care Act has increased slightly since the King v. Burwell decision, though more Americans disapprove than approve, while the percentage of uninsured American adults dropped slightly in the second quarter, according to two Gallup surveys released July 10.

In a poll taken July 1-5, Americans were asked, “Do you generally approve or disapprove of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Obama that restructured the U.S. healthcare system?” Forty-eight percent (48%) said they disapprove, while 47% percent said they approve. The survey sampled 2,013 adults by telephone.

Opposition to the law was stronger last fall, when 56% said they disapproved while 37% approved. Since then, approval ratings have climbed 10 points.

The survey occurred a week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in King v. Burwell that individuals living in states without state-based exchanges would be eligible for healthcare tax subsidies.

In the survey, 55% said the law had not affected them personally, while 25% said it had hurt them and their family and 18% said it had helped. Ninety-three percent (93%) of those who said the law helped their family approved of it, while 90% of those who said it hurt their family disapproved of it.

In a separate survey, Gallup reported the uninsured rate for Americans age 18 and over had dropped to 11.4% in the second quarter, a decrease of .5 % from the first quarter, when it was 11.9%. The rate was 18% in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Gallup arrived at its numbers by interviewing 43,575 adults by telephone from April 1 to June 30. The uninsured rates had their sharpest declines among Hispanics (down by 9.6 points from the fourth quarter of 2013), among African-Americans (down by 8.9 points), and in households with less than $36,000 in annual income.

To see the polls, go to www.gallup.com.