Polls Show Majorities Believing Obamacare Is Unconstitutional
With the Supreme Court taking up the legal challenges to Obamacare today (though we won’t be getting a ruling until later this summer) two new polls show majorities believe the health care law – or, at least, the individual mandate – is unconstitutional.
First up, the Reason-Rupe poll which shows a strong majority believing the individual mandate is unconstitutional but only a plurality thinking the law should be struck down by SCOTUS:
As the Supreme Court hears challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act this week, a new Reason-Rupe poll of 1,200 adults finds 62 percent of Americans believe it is unconstitutional for Congress to mandate the purchase of health insurance, while 30 percent think requiring health insurance is constitutional.
Legal experts have suggested that if Congress has the power to require individuals to buy health care insurance, it may also mandate that Americans buy broccoli. The Reason-Rupe poll finds 87 percent of Americans believe Congress does not have the power to require the purchase of broccoli, while 8 percent say Congress can force you to buy vegetables.
Reason-Rupe finds 54 percent of Americans think the health care law will result in the rationing of health care services. Half of Americans have an unfavorable view of the health care law, while 32 percent have a favorable view of it. Similarly, 49 percent say the law should be repealed and 36 percent would let it stand.
That’s a large gap – some 13 points – between the people who think the law is unconstitutional and the people who think the law should be struck down. It’s more than a little disconcerting that so many would be fine with unconstitutional law. I blame the public schools, which clearly aren’t doing that great of a job on basic civics.
The Hill also has a poll out today showing results similar to the Reason poll:
Half of likely voters want the Supreme Court to overturn President Obama’s healthcare law, according to The Hill’s latest poll.
Just 42 percent said the court should uphold the law, with 50 percent saying it should be struck down.
A majority of both men and women want the law voided. By a 52-percent-to-39-percent margin women are more opposed to it than men, who oppose it 48 percent to 45 percent, a difference that matches the poll’s 3-point margin of error.
Only blacks (74 percent), Democrats (71 percent) and liberals (75 percent) want the law upheld. While even the youngest voters oppose the law (47 percent to 42 percent among those aged 18-39), opposition grows to 53 percent among voters aged 65 and older.
Obviously, the Supreme Court isn’t going to base its decision on public opinion, but this does show that Obamacare hasn’t gotten any more popular since being passed into law. Which was something the Democrats assured us would happen. They insisted that the more we were familiarized with this law, the more we came to appreciate provisions such as an end to pre-existing conditions and required coverage for “children” up to 26 years old on their parent’s plans, the more we would like it.
That clearly hasn’t happened. What ever happens at the Supreme Court, there is still clearly a case for legislative repeal.
Tags: obamacare, polls, Supreme Court
