Poll Finds More Confusion Than Anger Over New Health Law

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Apr 23rd, 2010

Poll Finds More Confusion Than Anger Over New Health Law

The first Kaiser Health Tracking Poll released since health overhaul became law shows that most people are confused -- not angry. While 8 in 10 Americans polled know that President Obama signed the legislation into law, 55 percent said they are "confused" about what the law does, and just 30 percent described themselves as "angry."

Of those who reported that they feel unfavorably about the law, 61 percent reported feeling "confused," too. Just 44 percent of those who reported they liked the bill said they were confused.

That 30 percent -- the "angry" group -- who said they didn't like the law were nearly evenly split over why they didn't like it. Nine percent said they did not like the way the process worked, 7 percent said they did not like the final content, and 12 percent disliked both, according to the poll.

The poll finds that the public supports many of the provisions of health reform that are set to be implemented in the short term.  When asked about 11 specific provisions scheduled to take effect this year, in each case a majority of Americans viewed them favorably, often with bipartisan support.

Still, the public remains divided on the law overall, with 46 percent viewing it favorably, 40 percent unfavorably and 14 percent undecided. Similarly, 31 percent of Americans say they expect personally to be better off because of the law, while 32 percent say they will be worse off and 30 percent say they don’t expect to be affected.

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Coalition Partners