More than half of physician leaders (61.1 percent) agree with the Supreme Court decision to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to a new poll from the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). More than 30 percent opposed the verdict, while 5.5 percent remained unsure of where they stood on the reform ruling.
"The more I've learned of the contents of the ACA, the more I've come to appreciate it," said Keith Marton, a physician leader in Seattle who was among those supporting the verdict. "It has components that will not only increase access to health insurance (the primary goal) but actually control costs and potentially improve quality," he said, according to the ACPE research announcement.
Yet those against upholding the reform legislation cited costs and wasteful government bureaucracy.
Prior to the ruling, many physicians voiced their dissatisfaction with Affordable Care Act, echoing similar cost and quality concerns, according to a survey from staffing company Jackson Healthcare. Sixty-eight percent of physician respondents gave the reform law a C, D or F grade.
Meanwhile, the public remains divided on the decision to uphold the ACA, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Its latest poll found that 40 percent of Americans disapprove of the high court's ruling; 36 percent support it, and 24 percent offer no opinion.
What's surprising is how much of the public doesn't know about the health reform ruling--an astounding 45 percent.
Of those uninformed about the ruling that has been dominating headlines, 30 percent said they didn't know what the Supreme Court did, while 15 percent thought it rejected most of the ACA's provisions, according to Pew.
To learn more:
- read the ACPE announcement
- here's the Pew data