Poll finds nearly 4 in 5 blame Obamacare for changes in their health insurance
Sunday December 15, 2013, 10:54 PM
BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR AND JENNIFER AGIESTA
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Americans who already have health insurance are blaming President Obama’s health care overhaul for rising premiums and deductibles, a new survey has found, and three of every four respondents said the rollout of coverage for the uninsured has gone poorly.
The Associated Press-GfK Poll found that the issue of health care remains politically charged going into next year’s congressional elections. Keeping the refurbished website HealthCare.gov running smoothly is only one of the president’s challenges.
The poll found a striking level of unease about the law among people who have health insurance and aren’t looking for any more government help. Those are the 85 percent of Americans who the White House says don’t have to be worried about the president’s historic push to expand coverage for the uninsured.
In the survey, nearly half of those with job-based or other private coverage said their policies will be changing next year — mostly for the worse. Nearly four in five (77 percent) blamed the changes on the Affordable Care Act, even though the trend toward leaner coverage predates the law’s passage.
Sixty-nine percent said their premiums will be going up, while 59 percent said annual deductibles or copayments are increasing.