ABC News(NEW YORK) — A majority of Americans approve of the Affordable Care Act — the signature legislation from President Barack Obama — for the first time, according to a new poll from Gallup.
The health care plan was signed into law in 2010 and has drawn both praise and criticism since then.
Gallup reports that the shift was most noticeable among independents as their approval went from 40 percent in November to 57 percent in the latest poll. Approval among both Democrats and Republicans increased 10 percent respectively during the same time period.
Republican efforts to vote to repeal and replace the measure last month were thwarted when the bill was pulled shortly before voting at the direction of President Trump when it became clear it would not pass. Only 30 percent of Americans want to repeal the law and replace it, according to the poll.
Gallup has been polling Americans on their views of the Affordable Care Act since 2012, and the results from their latest poll, released Wednesday, show that 55 percent of respondents approve of the ACA.
That number marks an increase from the 42 percent that approved of the plan and the 53 percent that disapproved immediately following the 2016 election.
There had been two earlier times — one when they first polled in November 2012 and again in mid-2015 — when 48 percent of respondents approved of the health care plan, but Wednesday’s poll was the first time that a majority of respondents approved.
Even though the majority of respondents now approve of the ACA, that doesn’t mean that they think it shouldn’t be fixed.
Only 26 percent of Americans want to keep the bill as is without adjustments, while 40 percent want to keep the law in place but make significant changes
Those answers fall largely along party lines, as slightly more Democrats want to keep it but make changes, 47 percent, than those who want to keep it as is without major changes, 44 percent.
Among Republicans, 60 percent want to repeal and replace the law.
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