Californians Divided Over Supreme Court Health Care Ruling
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Californians are divided over Thursday's Supreme Court ruling upholding the landmark Affordable Care Act according to a new poll conducted for CBS 5.
The SurveryUSA poll shows when California Democrats and Republicans are proportionally split, 45 percent of Californians oppose the ruling, while 44 percent support it.
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SurveyUSA interviewed 675 California adults immediately after the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold President Obama's signature health care law. Of those, 514 were following news of the court's decision and were asked the questions.
48 percent said they expect the cost of health care to go up as a result of the decision, according to the poll. 38 percent said they expect the quality of their health care coverage to get worse as a result of the decision, while 34% said it would stay about the same.
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The margin of error for the questions was 4.4 percent.
According to the poll 13% of the Californians interviewed do currently have health insurance coverage. Among those who polled who don't have health insurance, there was opposition by greater than 2:1 to the ruling that requires them to purchase coverage.
Governor Jerry Brown said of the ruling: "Today's dramatic Supreme Court ruling removes the last roadblock to fulfilling President Obama's historic plan to bring health care to millions of uninsured citizens."
California Republican Party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro said in a statement: "Today, our American system of government changed dramatically if not irrevocably. Congress can now tax citizens into doing what it wants.
"For California, a state already in more than financial distress, this represents a potential huge new financial burden," said Del Beccaro.
In another statement issued after the ruling, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. said, "This decision is a victory for the American people. With this ruling, Americans will benefit from critical patient protections, lower costs for the middle class, more coverage for families, and greater accountability for the insurance industry."
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