Americas remain largely divided on the merits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but a recent poll shows widespread support for the concept of universal health care, with most expressing a belief that access to health care is a moral issue.
A nationwide survey conducted by Harris Poll and HealthDay found that 84 percent of Americans believe that providing a system that ensures the care of the country's sick is a moral issue, compared to 16 percent who disagree. Even three-quarters of Republicans, typically more skeptical of social welfare policies, agree that it is a moral issue, along with 91 percent of Democrats.
The issue is of course not as settled as the response to that question indicates. In fact, statements that were similar but differently worded elicited significantly less support from respondents.
For instance, 76 percent responded that because most other advanced countries provided health care to all of their citizens, so could the U.S. And only 63 percent said they favored a system of universal health care.
And yet, 50 percent said that paying for a universal health care system would cost too much. Furthermore, 52 percent said that acquiring insurance was a person's individual responsibility.
"Health care policy is complicated, which helps to explain why many people react positively to apparently contradictory policy positions," poll author Humphrey Taylor told HealthDay.
As for PPACA specifically, 33 percent say they want to repeal it entirely while 26 percent want to keep it entirely and 30 percent want to keep some parts and ditch others.
This last category is the one that has seen the most change since the law's implementation, with more people signaling that the law is flawed but not fatally so. This continues a trend of growing support for the PPACA since a low point during the bungled rollout of healthcare.gov at the end of 2013.
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