January 2012 Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: The ACA and the Supreme Court

As the Supreme Court prepares to hear legal challenges to the health reform law in March, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll shows that most Americans (59 percent) expect the Justices to base their ruling on their own ideological views rather than their interpretation of the law (28 percent). As for the public’s views on the individual mandate, the poll once again shows that it continues to be unpopular with the public (67 percent unfavorable versus 30 percent favorable). Reflecting this dislike for the mandate, 54 percent of Americans say the Court should rule the individual mandate unconstitutional and a similar share (55 percent) expect the Justices to find it unconstitutional. But, the public does not expect the entire law to go away if the Supreme Court rules against the mandate – 55 percent believe that parts of the health reform law will still be implemented even if the Court strikes it down, while three in ten think a ruling against the mandate effectively will mean the end of the entire law.

For more on the health reform law and findings related to the Republican presidential primaries, read the full topline and findings here.