Registered voters remain divided on the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the federal health reform law, with 45% agreeing with the ruling and 44% disagreeing, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, the Washington Post reports.
The poll -- which was based on telephone surveys among a random national sample of 1,003 adults between July 5 and July 8 -- also found that 47% of respondents support the law and 47% oppose it. That marks a significant shift in public opinion on the overhaul. A poll in April found that 39% supported the law, while 53% opposed it (Balz/Cohen, Washington Post, 7/10).
In the most recent poll, 43% of voters said they approve of Obama's performance with health care policy, compared with 52% who do not. Voters were nearly split on which presidential candidate they trust more on health policy, with 48% favoring Obama and 44% favoring presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney (Viebeck, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 7/10).
The poll also found that:
- 38% of voters said Romney's support of repealing the overhaul is a major reason to vote for him, while 29% said it is a major reason to vote against him (Washington Post, 7/10);
- 77% of voters said they think health care will be an "extremely" or "very" important issue as they consider who should be president ("Healthwatch," The Hill, 7/10); and
- 31% said a lawmaker's support of the health reform law would make them more likely to oppose the candidate, while 30% said it would make them more likely to support the candidate (O'Keefe, "2Chambers," Washington Post, 7/10).