Polling indicates Americans still divided on health law

An NPR poll shows that a slight majority - 51 percent - favored amending rather than doing away with the health law. A Quinnipiac poll in Virginia found that 50 percent of respondents said Congress should repeal the overhaul.

NPR: A Majority Of Voters In NPR Poll Favor Amending, Not Repealing, Health Care Act
A new poll done for NPR by a bipartisan polling team shows the Affordable Care Act still stirring deep political division in the weeks after the Supreme Court upheld the law's constitutionality. But while much of the country remains strongly opposed to the law popularly known as Obamacare, a bare majority (51 percent) favors the idea of amending rather than repealing it (Elving, 7/18).

The Associated Press/Richmond Times-Dispatch: Majority In Va. Backs Tax Boost For Big Earners, Poll Finds
A new statewide poll in Virginia shows a clear majority support President Barack Obama's proposal to let tax breaks lapse for those earning more than $250,000 annually, but half still want his healthcare law repealed. The Quinnipiac University poll's survey released today shows 59 percent of those surveyed would approve of higher taxes for households earning $250,000 or more if it will help reduce the nation's budget deficit. Thirty-six percent oppose it, and 4 percent were undecided. Fifty percent said Congress should repeal the Affordable Care Act while 43 percent want to let it stand, and 6 percent were undecided. Respondents were evenly split over whether they supported the Supreme Court ruling upholding the law, but 63 percent said it wouldn't influence them to vote for or against Obama (7/19).

Meanwhile -

The Hill: Former CMS Chief: Leaders In Washington 'Bend The Truth And Rewrite Facts'
President Obama's former Medicare chief blasted critics of the healthcare law for "irresponsible, cruel, baseless rhetoric" and said Washington leaders "bend the truth and rewrite facts" out of convenience. Don Berwick resigned his position as head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in late 2011 after Republicans in the Senate refused to allow his confirmation to proceed. In a recent address to Harvard graduates, Berwick condemned Washington for "careless games" when it comes to healthcare (Viebeck, 7/18).