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44% of Voters Believe Repealing Any Part of Obamacare Is a Good Start

Forty-four percent of registered voters want to get rid of Obamacare and believe that repealing any part of it is a good way to start, according to a Morning Consult poll.

The group polled 4,577 registered voters in November and December of last year and asked them various questions about the Affordable Care Act.

There were 39 percent of registered voters who disagreed with repealing any part of Obamacare, and 16 percent were unsure.

Survey responders were asked whether they favored or opposed the individual mandate, which requires that individuals purchase health insurance or pay a penalty to the IRS.

Thirty-three percent of respondents strongly opposed the mandate and 18 percent somewhat opposed it. Only 35 percent of respondents either strongly or somewhat favored the mandate, and 15 percent were unsure.

In addition to repealing the individual mandate, many were supportive of repealing Obamacare's Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). According to the American Medical Association, some support IPAB because it's meant to protect health care costs from political pressure. However, they support its repeal because of its authority and lack of flexibility.

According to the survey, 43 percent agree that the individual mandate and IPAB are bad policies, and repealing both would be a big step in repealing Obamacare. Only 20 percent disagreed with this, and 37 percent were unsure.

"With last year's repeal of the individual mandate, Republicans in Congress have the momentum to further undo the damage Obamacare has inflicted on the health care system," said Taxpayers Protection Alliance president David Williams. "Next on the list should be repealing IPAB, one of the worst parts of Obamacare. IPAB allows unelected bureaucrats to cut Medicare without congressional approval and inserts government between Americans and their doctors."

"Giving 15 unelected officials the authority to make cuts to Medicare without oversight is undemocratic and unacceptable," said Williams. "Fortunately, President Trump's voters share this view. In fact, 60 percent of voters who supported the president in 2016 believe that repealing IPAB is the next [best] step in repealing the ACA in 2018." Williams continued, "Republicans in Congress should do what they were elected to do and repeal Obamacare. If that's too difficult, IPAB repeal should be next on their list. Their voters will reward them."