Polls: Public views health law as a tax, opinions divided along party lines

A Quinnipiac poll finds that most people view the health law as a tax increase, while a survey by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press not only found that the public is sharply divided over the law, but in regard to the court, too.

McClatchy Newspapers: New Poll Finds Mixed Messages From Public On Health Care
By a 55-36 percent margin, people think the law has a tax increase, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. Most people have to obtain coverage by 2014 or face a penalty -- or a tax, depending on one's point of view. At the same time, voters said, by a 48-45 percent margin, they agreed with the June 28 Supreme Court ruling upholding the law. Yet by 49-43 percent, they want it repealed. The House of Representatives Wednesday voted for repeal on a largely party line vote. The Democratic-run Senate is not expected to go along (Lightman, 7/12).

Politico: Poll: Health Care Is A Tax Hike
The Affordable Care Act is a tax hike, a majority of American voters say, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Fifty-five percent of voters say the health care law is a tax hike, compared with 36 percent who say it isn't. Meanwhile, a plurality -; 49 percent -; also say that Congress should repeal the ACA, while 43 percent say the law should not be repealed. The Supreme Court recently upheld the core of the ACA's provision, a move that 59 percent of American voters say will not affect their vote. Twenty-seven percent of voters say that it makes them less likely to vote for President Barack Obama, while 12 percent say it makes them more likely to vote for him (Mak, 7/12).

National Journal: Poll: Majority Of Voters Believe 'Obamacare' A Tax
A majority of voters say that Democrats' signature health reform law is a tax hike, according to a national poll from Quinnipiac University released on Thursday. More than half of those polled, 55 percent, say that the law is a tax increase, while 36 percent say it is not.  The Supreme Court in June ruled that the law's insurance requirement was constitutional under Congress's taxing power. Since then, Republicans have hammered home the point that the law increases Americans' taxes, although Democrats have argued that it is more accurately a penalty (McCarthy, 7/12).

The Hill: Poll: GOP Approval Of Supreme Court Has Plummeted Since Health Care Ruling
Republican voters took a strongly negative view of the Supreme Court in the wake of its healthcare ruling, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, found that the healthcare decision has produced sharp partisan divides not just over the law, but also the court itself. Fifty-one percent of Republicans in the latest poll said they have an unfavorable view of the court, while just 38 percent had a favorable view. Republican leaders largely steered clear of attacking the court after its healthcare decision, but pundits and some rank-and-file members were critical of Chief Justice John Roberts (Baker, 7/12).

Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald: Poll: Most Floridians Disapprove Of Federal Health Care Law, Half Want It Repealed
A majority of Florida voters oppose the national healthcare law and half want it repealed, a new Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9 poll shows two weeks after President Barack Obama's signature achievement was largely upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Only 43 percent of voters statewide support the Affordable Care Act and 52 percent oppose it, with 5 percent undecided. With the exception of southeast Florida, more voters think the law will make the healthcare system worse. More voters also favor the state opting out of provisions of the law, something Gov. Rick Scott has already said it would do. And 50 percent want to see Republicans follow through on their vow to repeal the law, with 43 percent saying it should remain (Leary, 7/12).