WASHINGTON — Repeated efforts of Congressional Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act are likely to hurt the party in midterm elections, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The survey conducted for the Services Employees International Union, which supports the new health care law, found that 51 percent of voters would prefer an anti-repeal Democrat in the 2014 elections. Another 36 percent of voters said they would choose a pro-repeal Republican.
That margin narrows among undecided voters with 40 percent saying they would favor the Democrat compared with 30 percent favoring the Republican.
“These results should send a clear message to Democrats that it’s time to play defense not offense,” said Geoff Garin, Democratic pollster and president of Hart Research Associates, which conducted the poll. “They should also send a clear message to Republicans that their focus on repeal has been losing to them.”
More American voters also say they want Congress to effectively implement the Affordable Care Act or keep it with some changes as opposed to repealing the law.
The survey found that 36 percent of voters said they favor repealing Obamacare, with 40 percent of voters wanting to leave the law as is or make minor changes. The remaining 18 percent opted for major changes to the law, which Garin said would not include scrapping the law altogether since the option of repeal was given to respondents.
But such major changes could include elimination of some of the law’s key mandates. Scott Keeter, director of survey research at the Pew Research Center, says removing any of these mandates “would seriously undermine the financial assumptions in the legislation.”
“Our view of the legislation is that the public is divided on it, with somewhat more people having an unfavorable than a favorable view of the law,” Keeter said.
The national poll surveyed 1,205 people likely to vote in 2014 elections.