Fifty percent of Americans oppose health care reform's individual mandate clause, which requires the uninsured to purchase health insurance, according to a new Harris Interactive and HealthDay poll.
Of those surveyed, only 22 percent support the mandate, though specific arguments favoring the mandate seem to swing opinion toward support of the measure. In one particular instance, 71 percent of the more than 3,000 adults polled in mid-February agreed "for health insurance to work, it is necessary to include people who are healthy in order to help pay for those who are sick."
"While the individual mandate is still widely unpopular, indeed, by far the most unpopular part of the Affordable Care Act, some arguments in favor of it are supported by most people," says Humphrey Taylor, chairman of The Harris Poll Interactive.
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The poll also reveals 56 percent of Americans believe if everyone is required to be insured, the average cost of insurance will be less expensive, and 51 percent say requiring insurance companies to provide health insurance to those with pre-existing conditions will not work unless everyone is insured.
Still, the poll also finds many Americans disagree regarding the constitutionality of the mandate. Half of respondents say the individual mandate is unconstitutional, 20 percent say it is constitutional, and 30 percent are unsure. Of the surveyed Republicans, 78 percent say the mandate is unconstitutional, compared with 31 percent of Democrats.
Meanwhile, the nation is divided over the Affordable Care Act, as 39 percent oppose health care reform, 34 percent are in favor, and 27 percent are undecided.
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