HR Morning

What 73% of people think about health reform now

Christian Schappel
by Christian Schappel
2 minute read

The Supreme Court has now heard the arguments for and against the healthcare reform law. And a ruling is expected in June. What are most Americans hoping the outcome will be?
Answer: That all or some of the provisions will be overturned, according to a brand new CNN poll conducted by ORC International the weekend prior to the Supreme Court hearings. ORC polled 1,014 adults by telephone.
Three in 10 Americans (30%) said they want the entire law overturned, while another 43% said they’d like some provisions overturned. Only 23% said they’d like to see the high court keep the law intact.
Impact on voters
One surprising finding in the study is how many people will base their vote in the upcoming presidential election on the outcome of the legal cases surrounding the reform law. It’s long been thought the Supreme Court’s ruling could greatly impact the outcome of the election.
But 76% of those surveyed said the verdict would have no impact on which way they’d vote, while the same percentage (12%) of people said they’d be less likely to vote for Barack Obama as would be more likely to vote for him if the law was shot down.
Other highlights:

  • 50% of Americans oppose the law overall (down from 56% in November), while 43% favor it (up from 38%)
  • 37% of those who oppose the law say it’s because it’s too liberal, compared to 10% who say it’s not liberal enough
  • More women are in favor of the law than men
  • 51% oppose the individual mandate (up from 47% in November), while 47% favor it (down from 52%)
  • More men oppose the individual mandate than women, and
  • 50% say the justices’ decisions will be based on their political views, while 46% say their decisions will be based on objective interpretation.

The most important issues facing the U.S.
When asked to name the most important issue facing the country today, health care did not top the list:

  1. The economy (53%)
  2. The federal budget deficit (20%)
  3. Health care (11%)
  4. The situation in Afghanistan (6%)
  5. Illegal immigration (4%)
  6. Terrorism (2%)
  7. Policies toward gays and lesbians (2%)