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Majority Believe Republican Health Care Law Fulfills Some of Trump's Promises

More Americans have a negative view of the replacement legislation than a favorable one

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June 1, 2017

A majority of Americans, 54 percent, believe that the American Health Care Act, the Republican replacement to Obamacare, fulfills at least some of President Donald Trump's promises on health care, according to a poll from Kaiser Family Foundation.

Of the 54 percent who said this, 4 percent believe that the law fulfills all of Trump's promises, 10 percent believe it fulfills most of his promises, and 40 percent believe it fulfills at least some of his promises. Thirty-five percent of Americans say the replacement fulfills none of the president's promises.

In addition, the majority of Americans still believe that the Affordable Care Act will be repealed. Seventy-four percent of those polled said that it is very likely or somewhat likely that Congress and President Trump will repeal Obamacare, with 15 percent responding that it is not too likely, and 9 percent saying it is not at all likely.

Despite these views, the public generally has a more unfavorable view of the replacement legislation than a favorable one.

Roughly 31 percent of respondents said they either had a very favorable or somewhat favorable view of the American Health Care Act, and about 55 percent said they had a very unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable view. Thirteen percent said they didn't know or refused to respond.

Among Republicans, however, the replacement legislation has broad support. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans find the law favorable compared with 18 percent who say it's unfavorable.

A majority of Americans want the Senate to make changes to the legislation before they pass it. Fifty percent of respondents said they wanted either major or minor changes to the bill, 8 percent said to pass the bill as it is now, and 29 percent said to not pass the bill.

Most of the Republicans polled said they wanted minor changes to the bill, most independents said they wanted major changes to the bill, and the majority of Democrats said they didn't want it passed at all.

Individuals were also asked how the replacement would change their current health care conditions. Roughly half of those polled believe that the new legislation would not change their ability to get health insurance or the quality of care. A majority, however, believed that it would increase costs for them and their family.

"Immediately following the 2016 presidential election and prior to the release of the Republican plan, most Americans thought that their health care would stay about the same if the 2010 health care law was repealed," the report states. "Yet, in this month's survey which was fielded after House Republicans passed the AHCA, larger shares say the cost of health care for them and their family, their ability to get and keep health insurance, and the quality of their own health care will get worse if Congress passes the AHCA."