government
More than half have low opinion of health reform law
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 7, 2011
Just more than half of all Americans hold an unfavorable view of the health system reform law, according to an October poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Fifty-one percent said they have an unfavorable view of the statute, 34% said they had a favorable view and 15% did not know or declined to give an opinion. The foundation's tracking poll showed October as the first month since the reform law was enacted in 2010 that a majority of Americans had an unfavorable view of the law.
The poll was conducted while candidates for the Republican presidential nomination lobbed strong criticisms at the reform law, the foundation said. The poll found 63% of Republicans holding a "very unfavorable" view of the law, while only 11% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of the law. Nearly one-quarter of Republicans had a positive view in August.
But enthusiasm among Democrats also has faded, the poll said. Since August, support from Democrats has decreased to 52% from 60%.
Just one-third of independents hold a favorable view of the law.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/11/07/gvbf1107.htm.
