美国国家公共电台 NPR Poll: Most Americans Say Don't Repeal Obamacare Without A Replacement

DAVID GREENE, HOST: 

So Republicans in Congress are moving ahead with efforts to repeal 1 the Affordable 2 Care Act. They've said that's a priority. But there's a new poll suggesting that their constituents 3 might not be as eager as they are to see the law go. The survey comes from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. It shows that if lawmakers don't have something ready to replace Obamacare, only 20 percent of Americans want it repealed 5 immediately. Here's NPR's Alison Kodjak.

ALISON KODJAK, BYLINE 6: The poll shows that Americans are about equally divided over the Affordable Care Act. Forty-seven percent like the ACA, and 48 percent want it to go. But of that second group, more than half say Congress should have a replacement 7 ready before they vote to repeal. Kaiser CEO Drew Altman says the poll shows lawmakers don't really have a mandate 8 to kill the law.

DREW ALTMAN: Most of the American people said they're either against repealing 9 it or they're against repealing it unless Republicans put a replacement plan on the table. They want to see what comes next before they see the ACA repealed.

KODJAK: Senate Republicans this week made the first move to repeal the health-care law. They began debating a budget proposal that will serve as the legislative 10 vehicle to repeal the taxes and subsidies 11 that make Obamacare work. Their plan as of now - vote immediately to kill the law and come up with something to put in its place later.

ALTMAN: Republicans in Washington are feeling much more bullish about repealing the ACA without a replacement plan than the American people are.

KODJAK: One big reason - about 20 million people have health insurance thanks to Obamacare. The Republican plan to repeal now, replace later leaves them wondering what comes next. Doctors, hospitals and patient groups aren't big fans of the repeal-and-delay strategy either. And they're making sure lawmakers know it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The cancer has returned.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Your son's infection has spread.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: You have insurance, right?

KODJAK: That's from an ad campaign by the patient-advocacy group Families USA. It's asking people to demand an Obamacare replacement that ensures the same number of people will be covered.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Repealing health care with no plan is a partisan 4 attack by Congress that will hurt us all.

KODJAK: The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association are among many organizations that are asking lawmakers to slow down. Andrew Gurman is president of the AMA.

ANDREW GURMAN: Our position on repeal and replace is that we need to see what the replace part is. We think that all people in this country need to understand what it is that you're being asked to substitute for what's there now so that they can have an informed opinion about whether it's better or not.

KODJAK: Another study released today shows that repealing the Affordable Care Act could also cost the economy as many as three million jobs. That study's lead author, Leighton Ku of George Washington University, says about a third of those jobs are in health care.

LEIGHTON KU: Health care is almost a fifth that the U.S. economy. So as you begin to change this health care, there are repercussions 12 that go across all states and all sectors 13.

KODJAK: That's because your insurance premium 14 is someone else's paycheck down the line.

KU: The payments that you make to health care then become income for workers and income for other businesses. And the income they receive they pay out to their workers. And they buy more goods.

KODJAK: With jobs on the line and public opinion mixed, Republicans in Congress may find they're better off speeding their work on Obamacare's replacement and putting the brakes on its repeal. Alison Kodjak, NPR News, Washington.

[POST-BROADCAST CLARIFICATION: The audio version of this story refers to an ad campaign by Families USA. In fact, the campaign is being conducted by a broad coalition 15 of 21 doctor, nurse and patient advocacy groups, including Families USA.]