58% Now Favor Health Care Repeal

While voters still favor repeal of the national health care law, concerns that the law will force them to change their existing health insurance are lower than a year ago.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 58% of Likely U.S. Voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the health care law while 36% are opposed.

These figures include 46% who Strongly Favor repeal and 27% who Strongly Oppose it.  (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

This is the 54^th  weekly survey tracking support for repeal of the health care law. Support for repeal has ranged from a low of 50% to a high of 63%. In 53 out of the 54 weeks, support for repeal has topped opposition by double digits. Consistently, Democrats have strongly opposed repeal while Republicans overwhelmingly favor it. Among those not affiliated with either major party, , 55% favor repeal and 36% are opposed.

Last week, support for repeal was at 53% overall.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters with health insurance support repeal of the health care law, while the plurality (47%) of non-insured voters oppose repeal. It is important to remember that those currently without insurance are temporarily uninsured.

Last week also, the number of voters who are at least somewhat confident that repeal will happen was at the second highest level since the law's passage. The House with its new Republican majority has already voted to repeal the measure, but the effort has stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Seventy-nine percent (79%) of voters with insurance rate their own health insurance coverage as good or excellent, consistent with findings for the past year. Only five percent (5%) view their coverage as poor.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of voters with health insurance think it is at least somewhat likely that the health care law will force them to change insurance coverage, with 21% who say it’s Very Likely. Fifty percent (50%) say it’s unlikely they will have to change insurance, including 18% who say it’s Not At All Likely. Another 13% are not sure.

Belief that the new law will force a change in insurance coverage has ranged from 34% to 51% in surveys since last June.

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on March 26-27, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.