President Donald Trump's administration has asked the Supreme Court to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act at a time when the United States is suffering from a deadly pandemic.
An Axios analysis written by Drew Altman of the Kaiser Family Foundation argues that Trump's insistence on demolishing all of Obamacare puts him at odds not just with Democratic and independent voters, but also a majority of Republican voters.
"Many of the ACA’s benefits are hugely popular with independents -- even beyond protections for people with pre-existing conditions, which gets the most attention," writes Atlman. "93 percent of independent voters want insurance companies to continue to be prohibited from setting lifetime limits on coverage. 82 percent want to retain subsidies to help people pay for insurance. 80 percent want young adults to keep the option of staying on their parent’s plans."
Additionally, tossing out all of Obamacare would mean the end for patients who have preexisting conditions and the end of the expanded version of the Medicaid program that has proven to be popular even in deep red states such as Oklahoma and Idaho.
"Trying to get the ACA thrown out in court may help Trump deliver on a campaign promise for his base, but it could also drive independents toward Democrats," Altman concludes.
