For the first time in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll an equal number of people believe the President’s health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), will and won’t make the country better off. Public support sunk to an all-time low in October of 2011 the new poll finds.
According to Kaiser, only 34 percent of Americans favor the law and 51 percent disapprove.
The poll further finds that the most important changes in PPACA perceptions are among Democrats. As of October, only 27 percent of Democrats believe the law will improve health care. Moreover, twice as many Democrats (55 percent) now believe the law won’t make much difference in their lives.
In addition to Democrats, independent voters are also starting to shy away from supporting the law. The October poll indicated that only 32 percent of independents now have a favorable view of PPACA.
* However, it must be noted that the survey of 1,223 adults was conducted between Oct. 13 and Oct 18, 2011. This is the same week that the CLASS Act was determined unsustainable and cancelled by the Department of Health and Human Services. Therefore, during the survey period a large amount of bad press was making the rounds on PPACA.
