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CNN/ORC Poll: Are Obamacare’s flaws fixable?

Posted at 6:19 AM, Nov 27, 2013
and last updated 2013-11-27 08:19:32-05

By CNN Political Unit

(CNN) — Despite the flawed rollout of HealthCare.gov, a majority of Americans still seem to have an open mind about whether Obamacare will work, and more than half of those surveyed in a new national poll believe the current problems can be solved.

A CNN/ORC International poll also indicates that nearly six in 10 Americans oppose the national health care law, but some give the Affordable Care Act a thumbs down because it isn’t liberal enough.

According to the survey released on Wednesday, four in 10 say they support the law, with 58% opposed.

Those figures are little changed from a CNN poll a month ago, just two weeks into the rough start up of HealthCare.gov and mostly before the controversy over insurance policy cancelations due primarily to the new health law.

But 41% say they oppose the law because they think it’s too liberal, with 14% saying the measure doesn’t go far enough. That means that 54% either support Obamacare, or say it’s not liberal enough.

Is the new law a success or failure?

Nearly four in 10 say it’s a failure, with 53% saying it is too soon to tell.

Will the current problems faced by Obamacare be eventually solved?

Fifty-four percent express optimism on this question, with 45% saying that Obamacare’s flaws will never be fixed.

Younger Americans are much less likely to express negative views.

“Only 25% of 18-to-34 year olds say that the new law is a failure, compared to more than four in 10 in any other age bracket. Seven in 10 younger Americans think the current problems faced by Obamacare will eventually be fixed. Senior citizens are split, and most people between 35 and 65 years old think that the system is permanently broken,” said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

The poll was conducted November 18-20 for CNN by ORC International, with 843 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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