Politics

AP Poll Calls Shift in Public Sentiment on Health Care ?Significant?

By Karina

An Associated Press-GfK poll released this week finds that public support for the new health insurance reform law has risen to its highest point in AP polling?with 45% in favor of the Affordable Care Act.

AP called the shift in public sentiment “significant”, and the “latest survey found the strongest backing for the health care plan since the AP-GfK poll began asking in September.”

The poll also found that 51% of Americans trust Democrats over Republicans (38%) to handle health care issues.

According to the AP, support among Republicans went up from 8% to 17%:

The uptick among Republicans comes even as party leaders are calling for the law’s repeal.

The AP on some of the responses from those polled offered:

Electrical contractor Kerry Eisley of Moscow, Pa., said he thinks people are starting to get nuts-and-bolts information on how the legislation affects them.

?If we can insure more people across the United States and get the cost of health care down, I think that’s a better thing,? said Eisley, 43, a Republican who supports the health care plan, though not a single GOP lawmaker voted for it.

Congressional Republicans continue to protect insurance companies and threaten to take us back to the failed Bush policies that left workers, families and small businesses with high premiums, denied care and lost coverage. Despite the clear benefits of the Affordable Care Act, Republicans tried to repeal a critical provision of the bill this week. If the Republican motion had passed, it would have resulted in increased premiums for Americans.

Full post as published by The Gavel on June 18, 2010 (boomark / email).