Rasmussen: 52% Favor Repeal of Healthcare Law Monday, 28 Jun 2010 01:42 PM Article Font Size A majority of voters favors repeal of the nationa

Rasmussen: 52% Favor Repeal of Healthcare Law
Monday, 28 Jun 2010 01:42 PM
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A majority of voters favors repeal of the national healthcare law, but support for repeal has fallen to its lowest level since the bill passed in March, according to a Rasmussen Reports national survey.

Voters remain skeptical, however, about the impact of the plan on the deficit and on the quality and cost of healthcare, according to the report, released Monday, saying that 52 percent favor repeal and 40 percent oppose it.

A week ago, 55 percent favored repeal and 40 percent opposed it. Voters with health insurance overwhelmingly like the coverage they have, but 44 percent of that group now think the healthcare bill is likely to make them change that coverage.

Rasmussen Reports has been tracking sentiments about repeal since the plan’s passage in March, and opposition to the legislation has remained as strong since its adoption as it was beforehand. Before this survey, however, support for repeal since March has ranged from a low of 54 percent to a high of 63 percent in mid-May. Opposition has ranged from 32 percent to 42 percent.

The new findings, based on a survey of 1,000 likely voters June 25 and 26, include 42 percent who strongly favor repeal and 28 percent who are strongly opposed.

Almost 40 percent of all voters believe the health care plan will be good for America, while 49 percent say its impact on the country will be bad.

Since March, those who rate the plan’s impact as good have ranged from 35 percent to 41 percent. In the same time period, those who predict it will be bad for the country have fallen in the 49 percent to 55 percent range.

Just under 60 percent of voters believe the plan will increase the federal deficit at a time when President Obama has just agreed with other world leaders to halve the deficit by 2013. Nearly 15 percent say the health plan will decrease the deficit, and 17 percent say it will have no impact.

Only 22 percent think the quality of healthcare will improve under the health plan, while 49 percent say quality will get worse. Almost one-fourth expect it to stay about the same.

Just over half say healthcare costs will go up under the new plan. Just 17 percent think costs will go down, while 22 percent say they will stay about the same.

Democrats continue to be cheerleaders for the healthcare plan, while Republicans remain its strongest opponents. Almost 70 percent of those in the president’s party say the plan is good for the country, while 81 percent of Republicans and 49 percent of voters not affiliated with either party disagree and see it as bad for America.

Four-fifths of GOP voters and 54 percent of unaffiliateds favor repeal of the plan, while 67 percent of Democrats oppose it.

Political class voters continue to be even bigger supporters of the healthcare measure. Although 63 percent of mainstream voters say the plan is bad for the country, 95 percent of the political class see it as good.

Two-thirds of the mainstream voters favor repeal, but 87 percent of the political class oppose repeal.

Supporters of the healthcare plan have often looked north to Canada’s nationalized system as a model for what they have in mind, but just 32 percent of voters nationwide say Canada has a better healthcare system than the United States. Rather than looking to Canada, 57 percent believe more competition and less government regulation would be better for the U.S. healthcare system.

The number who believe Canada has a better system is similar to the 34 percent who support a single-payer system in the United States in which the federal government would provide coverage for everyone.

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