As election nears, ACA sees highest approval ratings to date

The poll found that 36 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of independent voters identified health care as the most important issue in this presidential election, compared to just 12 percent of Republicans. (Photo: Shutterstock)

A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) shows the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with its highest approval rating yet from the public: 55 percent of Americans said they have a favorable opinion of the health care reform law, while opposition stood at 37 percent. KFF began tracking public opinion about the ACA in March 2010, when it was signed into law.

While the ACA has grown in popularity even while under attack from the Trump administration, much of the debate about health care on the 2020 campaign trail centers around Medicare for All proposals favored by some Democratic candidates. Other candidates have called for a more moderate position such as a government-run public option. The KFF poll found both of those concepts have majority support: Medicare for all has 52 percent support (down from a high of 57 percent in early 2019), while a public option scores higher: 66 percent of Americans support that idea.