4 in 10 Americans Unaware ACA is Law

According to an April 2013 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll, 4 in 10 Americans are unaware the Affordable Care Act is law and will be implemented. Out of those polled, 12% believe the law has been repealed by Congress, 7% believe it has been overturned by the Supreme Court, and 23% are unsure if the ACA remains law. Kaiser Family Foundation reports:

As the federal government, state governments and other stakeholders gear up for public information campaigns tied to the October start of open enrollment in the ACA’s health insurance exchanges, Americans report that thus far they have been relying most heavily on their own personal networks and the news media for information about a law that continues to be only dimly understood by many. The most commonly cited sources of information in Kaiser’s April Health Tracking Poll are friends and family (named by 40 percent), “newspapers, radio or other online news” (36 percent), and cable news (30 percent).

Thus far, about one in ten Americans report getting any information from a health insurance company, their doctor, an employer, or a non-profit, and few name any of these as their most important source of information. About the same share (9 percent) report having gotten information from “federal agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services,” with little difference across demographic groups. Eight percent say they have gotten some ACA information from “state agencies such as your state Medicaid office or health department,” a share which doubles among African Americans (17 percent). The poll provides a rough baseline before more intensive public information and consumer assistance begins.

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