It seems counter intuitive that in the same year that Obamacare is facing a significant challenge from the Supreme Court and people are facing massive tax bills are a result of the individual mandate and the federal subsidies that Obamacare would actually appear to be getting more popular.
But the latest monthly Kaiser Family Foundation poll, released Thursday, seems to indicate that the Affordable Care Act’s popularity is on the rise.
More people definitely still dislike the healthcare law than like it, but the gap between the two groups is narrowing to its lowest margin in more than two years.
In the new poll, 43 percent of respondents have an unfavorable view of Obamacare and 41 percent have a favorable opinion.
It splits down party lines as well. An overwhelming number of Republicans view the law unfavorably — 74 percent — and Democrats tend to support it, with 65 percent saying they view it favorably. Independents are split, with 37 percent saying they view it as favorable and 47 percent viewing it as unfavorable.
But part of Obamacare’s rising popularity despite its national challenges might have to do with how little is known about what is happening with the law, rather than actual popularity.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a case that could gut all of Obamacare, the first week of March, but more than half of Kaiser survey respondents said they had never heard of the case.
Just over half the public is aware that they are now required to report their health insurance status on their tax return thanks to the ACA, but many could not answer details about what this meant and did not understand that they could end up owing money to the government, according to the survey.
