http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/236248-poll-obamacare-approval-ticks-upBy Peter Sullivan - 03/19/15 09:26 AM EDT
The public's approval of ObamaCare has risen slightly, leading to the narrowest gap between favorable and unfavorable opinion since the core of the law came into effect in 2013, according to a new poll.
The poll from the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation finds that 41 percent of the public has a favorable view of the law, while 43 percent has an unfavorable view. That is the narrowest divide since the fall of 2012.
The law's unfavorable rating shot up in the fall of 2013, coinciding with major problems on the HealthCare.gov website. In July 2014, the gap widened to 16 points, but that gap has since narrowed to 2 points.
ObamaCare faces a major threat from a Supreme Court case, King v. Burwell, that could invalidate subsidies for around 7.5 million people in the roughly three-dozen states using a federally run insurance marketplace. The public is not paying much attention to the case, with half saying they have heard nothing about it and another quarter saying they have heard only a little about it.
Still, 62 percent say a ruling to invalidate the subsidies would have a negative impact on the country. There is also strong support for congressional action to restore the subsidies, at 65 percent. Among Republicans, though, 56 percent oppose Congress acting to restore subsidies.
There is stronger support among Republicans for state action if the subsidies are struck down. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans, as well as 82 percent of Democrats, support states creating their own marketplaces so that the subsidies can continue.
