Poll Shows Majority of Tennesseans Oppose ACA Repeal

Poll Shows Majority of Tennesseans Oppose ACA Repeal
Voters ask Senator Lamar Alexander to justify vote for repeal without replacement

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A poll commissioned by The Alliance For Healthcare Security on January 5-6 shows an overwhelming majority of Tennesseans oppose repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan that provides many of the same benefits the ACA has – in spite of the late night action taken by Republicans to dismantle the ACA.

According to the poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling for the Alliance, 67 percent of respondents favor a plan with provisions to protect people with pre-existing conditions, keep costs low, and protect those who are currently covered through the ACA.

“In this type of  highly polarized political climate, it’s extremely rare to have this much consensus, especially on an issue that’s been this divisive and combative” said Jim Williams of North Carolina-based Public Policy Polling. “These numbers are a clear sign people are very concerned.”

Williams reviewed the poll results, which  surveyed 840 Tennessee voters and had a 3.4 percent margin of error, in a Thursday call with members of the media from across Tennessee. Top lines include:

  • 58 percent oppose cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood,  which provides health centers offering birth control, cancer screenings and other preventative care for millions of women.

  • 74 percent strongly oppose allowing insurance companies to charge people in their 50s and 60s much more for insurance coverage than is currently allowed.  Another 13 percent somewhat oppose such a move, certain to be key to America’s large, aging, Baby Boomer generation. 78 percent oppose allowing companies to deny coverage for preexisting conditions.

  • 76 percent oppose eliminating provisions that provide routine check-ups including cancer screenings, mammograms, and wellness checks for children.

  • 70 percent oppose elimination of funding for health coverage that will result in almost 30 million American losing their health insurance, including four  million children.

  • 74 percent oppose the GOP proposals that would include an immediate $500 billion tax cut for big business and the wealthy.  61 percent strongly oppose the provision that would further eliminate tax credits to  help low and moderate income people buy their own coverage, while simultaneously increasing their taxes by up to $3800 per year.

Knoxville resident Kristina McLean, a cancer survivor, joined the call to ask Alexander to justify his votes to the 1.2 million Tennesseans with pre-existing conditions.

“Surviving breast cancer pretty much means I have the biggest pre-existing condition you can have,” McLean said. “There are not a lot that are higher.”

“I want him to explain to me how I’m going to get by if Obamacare is repealed without a replacement plan,” she said. “I’d like him to come back to Tennessee and look me in the eye and tell me how his plan will help us.”

Access the Poll Results: http://bit.ly/TN-ACA-Poll

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The Alliance for Healthcare Security is a national coalition of nurses, caregivers, patients and healthcare advocates that works to educate consumers on the importance of the Affordable Care Act.