The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fairly unique, in that not only does it require consumers to obtain health coverage – either through employee benefits or on their own – but the tenets of the law went into effect on a staggered basis. Since January, though, most of the reform's laws were initiated.
However, that fact hasn't resonated with most people, according to newly released polling data.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans – 62 percent – believe only some of the ACA's provisions have been enacted, according to polling data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Meanwhile, one in five think that the majority or all of the law's components have been put into motion.
As a general rule, awareness about the health reform law has improved slightly since it was first signed into law in 2010. More recently, though, familiarity with it has largely plateaued. Approximately six in 10 respondents said that they were "very" or "somewhat" well-versed with the ACA, which is right where the average was when a similar poll was performed in September, according to Gallup.
"Whether it's the well-publicized website glitches, the focus on Obama's erroneous declaration that 'if you like your plan, you can keep it,' the requirement that most Americans have health insurance, or the law's brief appearance in last week's State of the Union address, the ACA has been the center of attention for some time," said Andrew Dugan, survey analyst at Gallup. "But this has not translated into more Americans saying they are familiar with the ACA."
Some of consumers' confusion may stem from how frequently portions of the law have been altered. Without Congressional authorization, the ACA has been changed or delayed on 28 separate occasions, according to numerous reports.
