Much of the public is confused about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s April 2013 Health Tracking Poll. Forty-two percent of Americans are not aware that the ACA is still the law of the land; 12% say Congress has repealed the law; 7% say the Supreme Court has overturned it; and 23% say they don’t know the status of the law.
Forty-nine percent don’t know how the law will affect their family. Fifty-eight percent of the uninsured and 56% of low-income households say they don’t have enough information to determine how it will affect their family.
The following is where Americans say they get their information about health reform:
• 40% friends and family.
• 36% newspapers, radio news. or other online news sources.
• 30% cable news.
• 10% health insurer, a doctor, an employer, or a non-profit organization.
• 9% federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Service.
• 8% state agencies, such the state Medicaid office or health department.
The poll provides a rough baseline before more intensive public information and consumer help begins.
What about people who don’t approve of the Affordable Care Act? Where are they getting their information? They are somewhat more likely to report getting information from friends and family (50% compared to 40%) and from cable news (37% compared to 29%). They are also nearly three times as likely to report getting information from an employer. Seventeen percent of ACA opponents have gotten ACA information from an employer, compared to 6% of supporters. For more information, visithttp://www.kff.org.
