The new version of the GOP healthcare bill is incredibly unpopular
A new Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday showed just 38% of people surveyed said they were in favor of the American Health Care Act and 44% are against the bill. The poll, conducted after the bill was passed by the House, showed a drop off from one conducted last week in which the bill had 42% approval to 37% disapproval.
Another poll released Monday by HuffPost/YouGov also showed the AHCA was unpopular with 31% approval and 44% disapproval.
Particularly disliked, based on polling, was a recent addition to the bill that won over conservatives. The amendment would allow states to gain a waiver for two of Obamacare's biggest protections: essential health benefits and community ratings.
Health policy experts said that allowing states to get around these provisions could lead to weaker protections for people with pre-existing conditions and allow insurers to offer plans that covered fewer healthcare needs.
The previous Morning Consult/Politico poll, released May 3, showed that many Americans were against these later additions to the AHCA. 46% of those surveyed were in favor of federal standards for health coverage in insurance plans, while 38% were in favor of giving that power to the states.
50% of Americans were against a state opt out on pre-existing protections, while only 38% were for it in the Morning Consult/Politico poll. Additionally, an ABC News/Washington Post poll showed just 26% support for the state waivers when it came to pre-existing conditions.
Those aspects of the bill were highly publicized in the week leading up to the vote, with late night host Jimmy Kimmel even weighing in during a monologue that went viral with more than 10 million views on Youtube in just over a week.