(Bloomberg Politics) — It may come as news to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, but a majority of Americans is not, in his words, dreaming of "repealing every word of Obamacare."
Fifty-one percent of U.S. adults say that while the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) may still require small changes, "we should see how it works," according to a new Bloomberg Politics poll. Twelve percent said President Barack Obama's signature legislative accomplishment should be left alone, 35 percent said it should be repealed, and two percent said they weren't sure.
"If we're trying to have a better society, we have to look out for all people, not just certain segments," said Sherry DuPree, 67, a retired professor from Gainesville, Fla., who participated in the poll. "It has brought people who were on the street into the doctor's."
The number of Americans who want the law erased has remained fairly consistent over the past five years since Obama signed it. In July 2010, 37 percent said the law should be repealed. Two years later, 34 percent favored repealing the law.
Approximately 16.4 million Americans have gained health insurance since PPACA was enacted, the government says.
Views of the law are sharply divided by party. Sixty-eight percent of self-identified Republicans said they supported repeal, as did 37 percent of independents and just 10 percent of Democrats.
