A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that 55 percent of the people surveyed had an unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable view of Trumpcare. (Photo by Joe Raedle /Getty Images)
The health care plan recently passed by House Republicans and praised by President Donald Trump is less popular among Americans than Obamacare, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
The nonpartisan foundation’s poll, released on May 31, found that 55 percent of the 1,205 adults it surveyed have an unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable view of the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA), while 31 percent have a favorable view. On the other hand, 49 percent have a favorable view of former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA).
As expected in today’s partisan environment, the majority of Republicans, or 67 percent, have a favorable view of their party’s plan compared to the ACA (12 percent), the poll found. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats have favorable views of the ACA compared to the alternative (30 percent). Among independents, 48 percent like the ACA, while 30 percent like the AHCA.
“Partisanship is the main driver behind support for either the ACA or the AHCA, with a majority of Republicans viewing the AHCA favorably, while a majority of Democrats view the ACA favorably,” the poll’s report said.
The poll was conducted May 16-22, two weeks after the Republican-led House of Representatives passed the AHCA, also known as Trumpcare. Trump, who made the repeal of Obamacare a campaign promise, described the bill as a “great plan.”
The Senate is currently debating the House’s plan, and despite being dominated by Republicans, many analysts expect there to be major changes to the AHCA as some GOP members have expressed concerns that the measure could potentially do more harm than good.
Only 8 percent of Americans, the Kaiser poll found, said the Senate should adopt the plan as passed by the House and just 24 percent said with only minor changes. Most Americans said senators should either make major changes (26 percent) or not pass it (29 percent).
That could be due at least in part to recent reports of the “scoring” of the AHCA by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which estimated that the House’s plan would result in savings but also cost 23 million Americans their health insurance.
Another poll released May 31, the Morning Consult/POLITICO poll, found that 39 percent of 1,991 registered voters surveyed became more opposed to Trumpcare after the CBO analysis was released, with only 20 percent saying it made them more likely to support the plan.
It also found growing support for Obamacare, with 52 percent of voters saying they approve of the 2010 health law that provided more than 20 million Americans with health coverage, up from 50 percent earlier in May.
The poll was conducted May 25-30.
