Support for the Affordable Care Act Remains Strong in New Jersey, Rutgers Poll Finds
Two in three NJ residents say state should continue the ACA even if it’s repealed In Washington
The number of uninsured has plummeted in New Jersey since the federal government enacted the Affordable Care Act – and nearly half of residents would even be willing to pay higher taxes to protect health insurance coverage statewide if Congress repeals the law, according to a recent poll.
But like the nation, views about the ACA in New Jersey are polarized. Nine-in-10 Democrats in New Jersey reported favoring the state continuing the ACA if it is repealed in Washington D.C., while only 29 percent of New Jersey Republicans felt the same way. Poll respondents who are young adults, minorities or lower income were disproportionately likely to support New Jersey continuing the ACA compared to others.
The New Jersey Health and Well-Being Poll, conducted in the fall of 2017, also showed strong support for increasing state funding for Medicaid (67 percent) rather than cutting program benefits or enrollment (23 percent) if Congress reduces payments for the program. About two-thirds of respondents also support taxing employers that do not provide health insurance coverage to their workers.
“Despite years of partisan wrangling over the ACA, a large majority of residents in New Jersey recognize the importance of sustaining the gains in health care coverage that have been possible under the law,’’ Joel Cantor, director of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy and the poll’s lead author said. “Since the law was adopted, about a half million people gained coverage, and residents don’t want to go back to a time when getting sick could mean financial ruin because of lack of access to affordable health insurance.”
Two-in-five respondents would want to require New Jerseyans to have health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Last year, Congress repealed a similar federal provision, known as the “individual mandate.” A national poll, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, had a similar result. But support for the individual mandate rose to about 60 percent when the Kaiser poll respondents were told that the mandate repeal would lead to higher insurance premiums or more uninsured people.
Slightly more than two-in-five (44 percent) New Jersey poll respondents said they would be willing to pay higher taxes so that no one loses health insurance in the state if Congress reduces funding for the ACA. Like other views about the health reform law, Democrats reported being more willing than Republicans to pay higher taxes (60 percent compared to 21 percent) to sustain coverage in the Garden State.
The New Jersey Health and Well-Being Poll was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and designed and analyzed by researchers at the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy. The poll was conducted in English and Spanish from October 12 through November 19, 2017, with a sample of 1,052 respondents. Interviews were conducted by landline (452) and cell phone (600). The sample is designed to be representative of New Jersey adults and is weighted to match population demographic and telephone status distributions. Additional details about the poll are available in a methodology report.