Nearly half of Americans want the Democrats’ April health-care law repealed, but a wide majority support many of the law’s provisions, according to a national Bloomberg News poll released Tuesday.
According to the poll, 75 percent of Americans support measures that ban insurance companies from denying health-care coverage based on pre-existing conditions; 78 percent approve of a mandate that forces states to set up plans for patients with major health problems; 73 percent support increasing Medicare drug benefits and more than half support the provision that eliminates caps on the amount insurance companies must pay for health care over a person’s lifetime.
The only piece of the health-care law that a majority said they wanted repealed was the new tax on companies that offer premium health insurance plans.
Despite the number of Americans who want the law repealed, 49 percent said they approve of President Obama’s job on health care. In another twist, more of those polled said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate in November who supported the health-care law than for someone who voted against it.
The discrepancy suggests that the Republican messaging campaign against the health-care law has been strategically effective.
Other portions of the survey clash with a September Pew Research survey that suggested that half of Americans admire politicians who refuse to compromise on issues. In the Bloomberg study, 67 percent said they were more likely to vote for someone who “has worded cooperatively with the other party.”
The poll also examined approval ratings of a number of public figures, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who received a net favorability rating of 64 percent, 11 points higher than Obama and 26 points higher than former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.