PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Approval of the healthcare law worsened in recent weeks, with 40 percent of Americans saying they approve and 55 percent saying they disapprove, Gallup said.
The 15-percentage-point gap between disapproval and approval of the Affordable Care Act is the largest measured in the past year, results released Thursday indicated.
Seventy-three percent of Democrats, 39 percent of independents, and 8 percent of Republicans said they approve of the healthcare law, down at least marginally in all three groups since a survey in late October, Gallup said.
Since the government health insurance exchanges launched Oct. 1, Americans' views of the healthcare law remained fairly steady even as widespread technical glitches with the federal healthcare.gov have been reported.
Questioned about why they disapprove, 11 percent specifically mention losing their insurance and 7 percent said they thought President Obama lied about details of the law, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.
The biggest objection, however, was government interference or forcing people to get healthcare, mentioned by 37 percent of those who disapprove, Gallup said.
The most mentioned reason for approving of the law, given by 23 percent, is the belief that it makes healthcare accessible to more people.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,039 adults conducted Nov. 7-10. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
