Despite HealthCare.gov glitches, public’s views of health law remain consistent

Since its debut on Oct. 1, HealthCare.gov, the federal health insurance exchange website, has had considerable problems. Many who tried to purchase insurance on the site reported struggling through error messages and blank screens.

But a new poll by Gallup shows that despite those hiccups, how Americans view the healthcare law and its impact hasn’t changed significantly in the last month.

Gallup conducted the poll of 1, 530 adults on Oct. 26 to Oct. 28 via telephone interviews.

When asked how the Affordable Care Act will affect their families’ healthcare situation, 25% said it would “make things better,” 36% said it would “not make a difference,” and 34% said it would “make things worse.”

The responses were fairly consistent to those given in Gallup’s Aug. 17 to Aug. 18 poll – 24% said it would “make things better,” 34% said it would “not make a difference,” and 38% said it would “make things worse.” 

The October poll also found that more Americans are willing to say that they have a better understanding of the law. In August, 53% of respondents said they were “somewhat familiar” with the Affordable Care Act, while 15% said they were “very familiar.” In October, 43% of Americans said they are “somewhat familiar,” while 19% are “very familiar.” In both polls, 12% of respondents said they are “not at all” familiar with the law.

Gallup reports that in four measures during the past four months, the overall approval rating of the Affordable Care Act has fluctuated between 41% and 45%.