A majority of Americans disapproves of the Republican Party’s last-ditch effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, a new CBS News poll released Monday finds.
The poll found 52% of Americans said they disapprove of the Graham-Cassidy health care bill. One in 5 Americans polled said they approved of the bill, which was revised on Sunday after the poll was conducted. A little fewer than half of Republicans (46%) said they approve of the legislation.
The newest version of the bill gives Medicaid expansion to states that expanded the program after 2015 additional federal dollars. An internal GOP analysis, circulated to Senate offices, shows spending boosts states like Alaska and Kentucky — data that will almost certainly be used to sell the revised proposal in the days ahead.
Republicans face a deadline of September 30 to pass the health care bill, a lofty task considering GOP Sens. John McCain and Rand Paul have already publicly opposed the bill. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine have expressed deep reservations.
The poll also noted that a plurality of Americans (42%) feel the Republican Party has attempted to push the legislation through Congress too quickly, a sentiment held by an overwhelming majority of Democrats and 39% of independents.
Conversely, 40% of Republicans said the effort is moving too slowly.
However, nearly 90% of respondents, including large majorities in all three parties, said they believe insurance companies should still have to cover patients with pre-existing conditions. The updated bill would allow states to design some of their own insurance rules, which would wipe away many of Obamacare’s protections not only for those with pre-existing conditions but also for those who get medical care.
Polling numbers indicated that nearly a third of Americans (32%) believe the bill would affect them personally while 25% believe it would hurt them.
The CBS News survey was conducted from September 21-24, polling 1,202 adults nationwide with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.
