New Kaiser Poll: Americans Think GOP Health Plan Would Limit Coverage And Raise Costs
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As Republicans push their Obamacare replacement strategy on Capitol Hill, Americans continue to view the Affordable Care Act favorably.
WASHINGTON — Thanks to the Congressional Budget Office, we now have estimates for what to expect from the Republican health care plan in the U.S. House. The nonpartisan agency tasked with forecasting the impact and cost of legislation has produced its predictions for what the bill would do to the deficit and how it would affect coverage, premiums, health insurance markets and more.
What the CBO can’t say is what the average American thinks of this new plan.
While public opinion falls outside CBO’s purview, a new poll from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation released on Wednesday has uncovered some fascinating findings on the public’s perceptions of the Affordable Care Act, the GOP bill that might replace it and what that plan might mean for women’s health care.
And, on the whole, Americans do not agree with one of the more controversial provisions of the House replacement bill. That provision would prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds for the services they provide—including non-abortion services like mammograms and other cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and more—for one year.
Seventy-five percent of the people polled do not want Planned Parenthood to lose access to this Medicaid funding.
Despite the heavily partisan rhetoric that often surrounds conversations about Planned Parenthood, it appears that even across party lines, American oppose cutting the group’s federal money. Even when the polling group was broken down by political leaning and gender, over half of Republican men and women said that Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood should not be halted.
And, it’s important to remember that even as debate rages on about country’s health care system is headed, the Affordable Care Act continues to enjoy an increased level of support. Public opinion shifted in a favorable direction for the ACA last month, and those views have remained stagnant, even after the GOP released the plans for replacing the existing law.
Read the rest of the poll to see where Americans stand on health care reform.
Quinn Libson is a Staff Correspondent for Government Executive’s Route Fifty based in Washington, D.C.
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