Americans Split Over "Obamacare" Ruling

The American population is pretty much evenly split on practically every important issue these days, so it shouldn't be a surprise to learn that they are also divided over the recent "Obamacare" ruling by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court recently upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") by a 5-4 margin. The Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate was constitutional because it is a tax and not a penalty. Congress can tax Americans as much as it wants to maintain the general welfare of the country, so "Obamacare" was allowed to stand.

Americans, as you can imagine, were sharply divided over the ruling.

According to Gallup.com, 46% of adults surveyed by Gallup agreed with the ruling, while 46% opposed it.

Here is a breakdown by party affiliation:

Democrats

Agree With Ruling - 79%
Disagree With Ruling - 16%

Republicans

Agree With Ruling - 13%
Disagree With Ruling - 83%

Independents

Agree With Ruling - 45%
Disagree With Ruling - 42%

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Of the people that were included in the Gallup survey, 31% said that they want to do away with "Obamacare" entirely, while 21% would keep the law but repeal parts of it.

25% of those surveyed want the government's role in health care to grow even further, while 13% like the law just the way it is.

64% of those surveyed said that politics played too great a role in the ruling.

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While this ruling was certainly a victory for President Obama, Republicans and right-leaning Independents seem to be galvanizing themselves after the decision.

Source: Gallup.com - Americans Issue Split Decision on Healthcare Ruling

Filed under: General Knowledge