Two new public opinion polls show uninsured Americans—a group considered critical for Obamacare’s success—are hardening their views about the President’s health care law.
The Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest monthly tracker out today reported that 47 percent of Americans who lack health insurance have an unfavorable opinion of Obamacare, outnumbering by 2-to-1 those uninsured Americans who like Obamacare (24 percent). Last month, views from uninsured Americans were more evenly split, with 43 percent opposing Obamacare and 36 percent supporting, the Kaiser poll noted.
While most uninsured Americans (54 percent) said Obamacare hasn’t made much difference for them or their families, 33 percent felt they were worse off, and only 13 percent reported feeling better off from the law.
When asked about their views of Obamacare helping Americans who don’t have insurance, uninsured Americans were even more negative, with 39 percent believing uninsured Americans were worse off, 29 percent saying it would have no impact, and 26 percent believing the uninsured would be helped by Obamacare.
On the same day, a new Gallup poll said 53 percent of uninsured Americans plan on buying health insurance, down from 60 percent who planned to do so in December. This month, 38 percent of uninsured respondents said they are more likely to pay the individual mandate fine that is part of Obamacare’s requirement that all Americans be covered under an approved health plan.
Gallup attributed part of decline in uninsured Americans seeking health insurance to a small drop (1.2 percent) in the uninsured rate, from 17.3 percent in December to 16.1 percent in early January. “In other words, fewer Americans are now uninsured, and those who remain uninsured as time goes on are least motivated to get insurance,” the polling company said in a release.
For those uninsured Americans who do plan on buying insurance, most (56 percent) point to an Obamacare exchange as their expected source, Gallup added.
