One month after launch, Americans’ opinions of healthcare.gov’s roll out remain split according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.
Thirty-seven percent say that the website problems are short-term technical problems that will be fixed while thirty-one percent believe that these glitches point to longer-term issues with the law’s design that cannot be corrected. Nearly one month into the Obamacare roll out, thirty percent believe it is too soon to tell if the issues can be resolved. Sixty-six percent say the law needs minor or major modifications to improve it, and 24% want it eliminated entirely. While there’s still work to be done, President Obama remains optimistic. “I’m confident these marketplaces will work because Massachusetts has shown that the model works,” the President said Wednesday in Boston. “Right now, the website is too slow, too many people have gotten stuck. And I am not happy about it. And neither are a lot of Americans who need health care. And they’re trying to figure out how they can sign up as quickly as possible. There’s no excuse for it. And I take full responsibility for making sure it gets fixed ASAP.”
Regardless of the website’s glitches, Americans’ view of the Affordable Care Act are largely unchanged from a month ago. A new Gallup poll shows 25% of Americans think the law will make their family’s health care situation better while 34% think it will make things worse.
Overall Americans’ approval of the health care law has been steady with recent polling showing 44% approve of the law and 47% disapprove compared to August when 41% approved and 49% disapproved. “It appears that Americans’ views on the law are relatively fixed at the moment, leaving open the question whether support will rise once the law’s provisions are fully implement and more uninsured Americans get health insurance,” Gallup reported.
Abby Borovitz