About seven in 10 U.S. residents believe that the Affordable Care Act will take effect in 2014 with major or minor changes, despite opponents' attempts to repeal the law, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll released Wednesday, the AP/Washington Times reports (Alonso-Zaldivar/Agiesta, AP/Washington Times, 9/26).
The poll surveyed 1,334 U.S. residents nationwide from Aug. 3 to Aug. 13 (AP/Boston Globe, 9/26).
Poll Findings
The poll found that 12% of respondents said they expect the law to be completely repealed, while 11% think it will be fully implemented without any alterations.
Meanwhile, 41% said the law will be implemented with minor changes, and 31% said it will be implemented with major alterations (Cirilli, Politico, 9/26).
The poll also found that 63% of respondents would prefer states to take charge of running the new insurance exchanges, while 32% said they want the federal government to oversee exchange operations (AP/Washington Times, 9/26).
Opinion on ACA Still Split, Misconceptions Remain
Public opinion on whether or not the law should be repealed continues to be split, with 49% saying the law should be repealed completely and 44% saying it should be implemented as written, the AP/Times reports.
The poll results showed a generational gap, with individuals ages 65 and older most likely to oppose the ACA and individuals under age 45 more likely to favor the law.
Meanwhile, although Republicans overwhelmingly oppose the ACA, just 21% think a repeal is likely, according to the poll.
The poll also found that common misconceptions about the law persist, with the percentage of individuals that believe the law would create "death panels" that decide on care for residents who are elderly or disabled increasing from 39% in 2010 to 41%.
However, respondents were more aware of the law's popular provisions, such as those allowing children to remain on their parents' coverage until age 26 and protecting individuals with pre-existing medical conditions (AP/Washington Times, 9/26).