Americans Don't Like Obamacare But Don't Trust Trump To Fix It

Voters think Hillary Clinton and the Democrats would do better on health care.

WASHINGTON ― Voters trust Hillary Clinton and other Democrats more than Donald Trump and Republicans when it comes to health care ― even though more Americans still dislike Obamacare than like it, a new poll shows.

Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, touts a health care agenda that would build on the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy initiative. Presumptive GOP nominee Trump wants to repeal it and institute an alternative plan that would eliminate health coverage for an estimated 18 million people.

When it comes to health care, 46 percent of voters believe Clinton’s views are closer to their own, compared to 32 percent for Trump and 15 percent who don’t think either candidate represents them on the issue, according to Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation survey results released Friday. The responses were predictably partisan, although Clinton beats Trump among independents 39 percent to 30 percent.

This is despite the continuing lukewarm view the public has of the Affordable Care Act, a law enacted while Clinton served in Obama’s cabinet that passed Congress solely on Democratic votes. Like the results of other health care questions, views on Obamacare tilt heavily partisan. Overall, 46 percent of those surveyed view the ACA unfavorably compared to 40 percent who view it favorably.

Also notable is that voters still trust Democrats to fix the Affordable Care Act and on a plethora of other health care issues over Republicans, according to the poll. Likewise, respondents tended to answer in ways that conformed to their political party affiliations.

Almost half said Democrats would do a better job handling the future of the ACA and cutting health care costs. Fifty percent trusted Democrats more when it comes to reducing prescription drug costs and managing Medicaid, the federal-state health program for low-income people, those with disabilities and frail senior citizens.

The Affordable Care Act itself is the top health issue for Republicans, the survey shows, with 41 percent saying the presidential candidates should talk about the law more.

By contrast, 41 percent of Democrats believe White House hopefuls should discuss health care costs and 40 percent think covering the uninsured should be a bigger part of the campaign. Among independents, 39 percent want more talk about health care costs and 26 percent think the candidates should further debate the ACA.

Even though these numbers overall appear to give Democrats an edge on health care issues and even though Obamacare persistently isn’t popular, these matters aren’t likely to turn the election.

When the Kaiser Family Foundation asked voters which issues were “extremely important,” health care ranked in the middle of a group of 10 issues, with 37 percent believing that it was. The top issues were the candidate’s personal characteristics and terrorism and national security, each of which 46 percent described as extremely important.

And as for the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser polls dating back to 2010 almost always find more people dislike it than like it, and Obama won re-election in 2012 anyway.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.

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