Pew poll: Support for Obamacare at all-time high

By David Wright

CNN

Support for Obamacare is at an all-time high in a new survey released Thursday, as Republican leaders continue to press the case for repeal amid fierce resistance at town halls from the public.

A survey from the Pew Research Center found 54% of Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act — the highest level ever recorded by Pew — while 43% disapprove. That’s up from an even split (48%-47%) in a Pew survey from December, suggesting support for the law may be galvanized by the ongoing public fight over its future.

Still, opinions on Obamacare remain divided. Predictably, Republicans are most likely to say they disapprove (89%) while Democrats are most likely to express approval (85%). But slightly more independents say they approve (53%) than disapprove (45%) — up about 10 points from December.

The survey results also found that even among those who disapprove of the law, 25% want GOP leaders to “make modifications” while just 17% want to “get rid of the law entirely.”

And while most Republicans disapprove of the law (89% to 10%), they are also divided over what to do about it — 42% favor modifications while 44% favor axing it.

During Congress’ latest recess, Republican lawmakers have held a series of high-profile town halls that attendees have flooded to express their concern over plans for the Affordable Care Act’s repeal.

The increasingly blunt outcry from Democrats has already rattled congressional Republicans and could extinguish hope for a quick and politically tidy repeal of Obamacare. To urge calm, some Republicans have already made promises that patients won’t lose coverage during a transition period away from Obamacare, while Trump himself has promised “insurance for everybody.”

The Pew Research Center survey sampled 1,503 American adults between February 7-12. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 points for all adults; plus or minus 4.7 points for Republicans; and plus or minus 4.0 points for Democrats.