The number of Americans that approve of Obamacare has sunk to its lowest ever, according to a new Gallup poll.
Just 37 percent of the public approves of the Affordable Care Act. That’s even worse than the previous low of 38 percent in January 2014, when Obamacare exchanges nationwide weren’t working and customers were experiencing problems with their coverage. This enrollment period has had a much smoother launch so far, but technical improvements still haven’t been able to boost the public’s overall opinions on the law.
Fifty-six percent of Americans actively disapprove of the law, a new high for Obamacare. Disapproval had spiked to 55 percent several times over the past year, but has now reached a new peak.
While 74 percent of Democrats approve of the law, just 33 percent of independents and 8 percent of Republicans approve.
The latest Gallup poll was taken Nov. 6-9 — several days before the latest revelations that a key architect of Obamacare, MIT professor Jonathan Gruber, had mocked the “stupidity of the American voter” and talked about hiding the true effects of the law from the public many times in public speeches over the past several years. While Obamacare was being crafted, Gruber spent time advising President Barack Obama himself about the health-care law.
Gruber’s comments have angered many people on the right and it’s possible that after learning that key Obamacare players intentionally deceived the public about the law, larger public approval of Obamacare may fall even further in the future.
The results are good news for congressional Republicans, who are gearing up to roll back Obamacare’s most unpopular provisions. Senate and House GOP leadership have promised to attempt to repeal the law, but are unlikely to have luck with an all-out repeal while Obama is in office.
