Republicans won the White House, Senate, and House promising to repeal and replace Obamacare. Now that they’re in a position to do so, replacing the law with a comprehensive solution is as important as repealing Obamacare itself. Worried about disruptions in their health care coverage, voters will punish the GOP in power if they repeal alone.
Americans know there are problems with ObamaCare. Most voters (66%) believe changes are needed, only 10% think the law should be kept as is and 22% say it should be repealed entirely, according to a Jan. 16, 2017 CBS poll. More importantly, 59% of voters are “very concerned that individuals currently covered by the law would not have health insurance.” Republicans do not have the luxury to repeal first and replace months later.
Americans are now split on the health care law. Forty-eight percent of voters approve of Obamacare (24% “strongly” and 24% “somewhat”) and 47% disapprove (32% “strongly” and 15% “somewhat”). This is somewhat close to where these numbers stood when the law was passed in Mar. 2010 (13% strongly approve; 24% somewhat approve; 33% strongly disapprove; and 15% somewhat disapprove). Voters appear most concerned about rising costs brought on by Obamacare. Americans will support Republicans if they have help in place for those covered by ObamaCare and if the White House and GOP congressional leaders communicate the new plans and its benefits to the public. If Republicans fail to do so, they will pay at the polls.
