Florida

HEALTHCARE | POLL

Poll: Most Floridians disapprove of federal healthcare law, half want it repealed

 

A majority of Florida voters disapprove of the Obama health law and half support a repeal of it, a Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times poll shows.

Tampa Bay Times

A majority of Florida voters oppose the national healthcare law and half want it repealed, a new Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9 poll shows two weeks after President Barack Obama’s signature achievement was largely upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Only 43 percent of voters statewide support the Affordable Care Act and 52 percent oppose it, with 5 percent undecided. With the exception of southeast Florida, more voters think the law will make the healthcare system worse.

More voters also favor the state opting out of provisions of the law, something Gov. Rick Scott has already said it would do.

And 50 percent want to see Republicans follow through on their vow to repeal the law, with 43 percent saying it should remain.

In perhaps the most worrisome sign for Obama and Democrats, only 39 percent of voters 65 years or older support the law. Seniors make up about 30 percent of the overall state’s electorate.

“Florida voters didn’t like it a year ago, two years ago [and] they still don’t like it,” said pollster Brad Coker. “There’s nothing there that suggests healthcare is a winner for Obama’s people.”

Obama has played down the law on the campaign trail, saying the country is ready to move past the divisive debate of two years ago. But the poll illustrates the opportunity for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to continue calls for the law’s repeal.

Romney’s “more effective trying to make healthcare one of the reasons the economy is doing poorly,” Coker said, noting that some insurers have already raised premiums in advance of the law taking full effect.

“They’re going to require all these people to have insurance, and they won’t be able to afford it and they won’t pay it, and I’ll have to pay for them,” said Republican voter Randy Gaskins, 57, a firefighter and paramedic in Gainesville. “I’m working two jobs to keep my head above water. I can’t afford this.”

The telephone survey of 800 registered Florida voters — all likely to vote in the November general election — was conducted July 9-11 for the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, Bay News 9 and Central Florida News 13. The poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon, a nonpartisan, Jacksonville-based company. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

The results mirror surveys in other states and show the same entrenched partisan feelings. Among Florida Democrats, 76 percent support the law; among Republicans 86 percent oppose.

Independent voters oppose it by 55 percent, with 9 percent still undecided.

Support for “Obamacare” exceeded 50 percent only in southeast Florida, with 53 percent. Tampa Bay had the lowest support, with 36 percent, although the strongest opposition came from conservative North Florida, where 61 percent oppose the law.

More women than men, 48 percent to 38 percent, favor the law and support was highest among voters age 18-34, with 57 percent. Fifty-two percent of Hispanic voters support it, while 86 percent of African-American voters do.

“We’ve got to do something in this country for our people,” said Pam Reynolds, 56 of Panama City, who had been unable to afford insurance and was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Alex Leary can be reached at leary@tampabay.com.

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