Support for repeal of the national health care law passed last year remains steady, as most voters continue to believe the law will increase the federal budget deficit.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 55% of Likely Voters favor repeal of the health care law, while 40% oppose repeal. Just 40% Strongly Favor repeal, matching the lowest level found since the health care bill became law. Thirty percent (30%) Strongly Oppose repeal.
Another survey asked independents how they felt about Obamacare:
A plurality of registered voters (49 to 44 percent) supports Republican plans to repeal and replace the health care reform bill, including a majority of Independents (54 to 36 percent support).
While overall intensity is balanced (37 percent strongly support and 34 percent strongly oppose), Independents are more intense in their preference for repeal (39 percent strongly support and 24 percent strongly oppose). Voters aren’t swayed one way or the other by arguments for and against repealing and replacing the law (50 to 44 percent overall), suggesting that they have already absorbed enough information on the subject and are settled in their views.
Another quick reminder: Just before Christmas, both Rasmussen and ABC News polling data showed support for the new healthcare law at an all-time low. The numbers may tick up or down from time to time, but one thing remains steady: Americans did not want this bill to pass, and continue to dislike it post-passage.
It's also gratifying to see the public isn't being fooled by Democrats' unserious song and dance about repeal adding to the deficit:
Sixty percent (60%) of voters say the legislation will likely increase the federal deficit, while just 17% say it will reduce the deficit. Another 13% believe the law will have no impact on the deficit. Since the laws passage, the number of voters that expect the plan to increase the deficit has ranged from 51% to 63%.
Fifty-eight percent (58%) expect the cost of health care to go up under the new plan, which has also remained steady since the law's passage. Only 13% expect the cost of care to decrease under the plan.
UPDATE: 168 economists have signed a letter urging repeal.
House Republicans open the health reform repeal debate today with an ace up their sleeves: a letter making the economic case for repealing the law, signed by 168 tenured economics professors and academic institution-affiliated scholars, two former CBO directors and four Federal Reserve economists, including a Nobel Laureate, among others. “We believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a threat to U.S. businesses and will place a crushing debt burden on future generations of Americans,” the 200 economists write, in a letter organized by the American Action Forum and obtained by PULSE. They charge that the law is a barrier to job growth and a “massive spending increase,” adding $1 trillion in government spending over the next decade.