Survey: Most adults favor keeping Obamacare

NEW YORK — Despite widespread doubt and dissatisfaction, most adults say they're not ready to repeal the healthcare-reform law signed into law two years ago by President Obama, according to a poll.

The latest United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, reported in the National Journal, found that most respondents preferred to spend more money on the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, or determine later if it requires changes.

The poll also found that most Americans think the law will help the poor and uninsured, but few think it will do the same for middle-class people or their own families. The poll was conducted by telephone between July 18-21 and included 1,000 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6%.

According to the survey, 35% said the law would benefit "people like you or your family," while nearly half said it would make things worse. In September 2012, 43% said it would benefit them.

Meanwhile, 36% favored repealing Obamacare, while 30% said the government should wait and see how the law plays out, and 27% favored increased spending. Forty-eight percent of respondents agreed with the statement "Congress should keep the program to expand coverage because it's important to reduce the number of Americans without health insurance," and 42% favored repealing it. Among non-whites, 60% said the law should be kept intact, while 32% favored repealing it.

But most respondents, 51%, also said the government is not ready to implement it. This comes not long after the Obama administration announced it would postpone the mandate that employers buy or provide their employees health insurance by one year; that provision had been scheduled to take effect in 2014.