Americans Okay with Added Obamacare Fees

Americans may be split on whether or not they like the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but most are okay with added fees as a result of the health reform law, according to new survey results.

Bankrate.com’s latest Health Insurance Pulse survey found that 68% of Americans wouldn’t let an surcharge to the bill added to help pay for employees’ health insurance prevent them for patronizing a favored merchant.

"A few well-known local and national business leaders have floated the idea of adding a small surcharge to each bill in order to compensate for increasing health insurance costs," Bankrate.com insurance analyst Doug Whiteman, said in a statement. "While most Americans may be able to swallow an extra 25 cents on their bill at their favorite restaurant, a sizable chunk (22%) said they would stop going to the business. I can only imagine this number increasing if businesses try to charge too much."

Democrats are far more supportive (70%) while 34% of Republicans approve and independents are split (50%). Midwesterners and Southerners are also more likely to disapprove and take their business elsewhere (26%)

Young Americans (ages 18 to 29) are most supportive of the practice while Americans age 65 and older are the least supportive. However, it is the older age group that has shown the biggest change of opinion in Obamacare, according to the survey.

Since December 2013, Americans ages 50 to 64 are more likely to say they would keep the ACA rather than repeal it. Currently, 51% (more than any other age group) would keep the law, which is up 11 percentage points.

According to Whiteman, the increased support among this age group is likely because they are most likely to benefit from the fact that health insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to customers with pre-existing health conditions.

Overall, though, Americans are still split on what to do. While 45% said the law should be repealed, 44% would keep it and 11% either didn’t know or refused to answer. Unsurprisingly, Republicans were far more likely to want to repeal the law (78%) compared to independents (52%) and Democrats (14%).