The Past, Present, And Possible Future Of Public Opinion On The ACA.

When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law in 2010, public opinion of it was narrowly divided and deeply partisan. Our review of 102 nationally representative public opinion polls in the period 2010-19 reveals that opinion remains divided and has shifted in a sustained way at only two points in time: in a negative direction following technical problems in the first enrollment period, and in a positive direction after President Donald Trump's election and subsequent Republican repeal efforts. In late 2019 the ACA was more popular than ever, yet partisan divisions have gotten larger rather than smaller. Many core elements of the law remain popular across partisan groups, even as fewer people recognize the ACA as the source of some of these provisions. While Republicans may never embrace the law that is seen as President Barack Obama's legacy, the public's reluctance to see certain benefits taken away will continue to be a roadblock for people who would seek to repeal or dismantle it.

Voters and health care in the 2004 election.

Exit polls showed that health care was a second-tier issue in the 2004 presidential race and that it was more important to Democratic than Republican voters. Those who considered health care the most important issue in their voting decision voted over-whelmingly for John Kerry. An analysis of national opinion surveys and exit polls shows that Republican and Democratic voters expressed dramatically differing views on key health policy issues. With the exception of malpractice reform and reducing federal health spending, health care is not likely to be a top issue for the Bush administration's second term.

Health news and the American public, 1996-2002.

The Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health Health News Index, a series of 39 surveys with a total of over 42,000 respondents from 1996 through 2002, measures how closely Americans follow major health stories in the news and what they understand about the issues covered in those stories. On average, four in ten adults reported following health news stories closely. The public reports paying the most attention to stories about public health, followed by health policy and disease-related stories. While knowledge about health news varies, individuals who follow health news stories closely are significantly more likely to give the correct answer to knowledge questions about those stories.