Latest Elon Poll: North Carolina wants Obamacare changed, not abolished

With the Supreme Court deciding on the Affordable Care Act’s future in the coming weeks, the majority of registered voters in North Carolina said Congress should modify the act instead of abolish it, according to an Elon University Poll released Monday.

Sixty percent of registered voters in the state said the act, commonly known as Obamacare, should change if the Supreme Court rules it unconstitutional so it still remains in effect. Fewer voters, 38 percent, said it should be eliminated altogether in the same scenario.

The Supreme Court will rule on whether or not the Affordable Care Act allows for insurance subsidies in states without state-run exchanges. If the Court rules it is unconstitutional, individuals in 37 states, including North Carolina, would be at risk of losing their health insurance due to the elimination of subsidies.

“Prior surveys have shown North Carolinians are skeptical of the benefits of ‘Obamacare,’” said Kenneth Fernandez, director of the Elon University Poll. “However, voters may have developed an attachment to the concepts behind the Affordable Care Act since its enactment five years ago and would prefer it be modified rather than abolished.” 

The 835 North Carolinians and the 1125 adults living in the United States polled were also asked questions regarding trust in the Supreme Court, same-sex marriage and freedom of speech on Texas license plates.

When North Carolina residents were asked if the Supreme Court should rule that same-sex marriage must be recognized in every state or it is the right of the state to choose, 44 percent said the court should rule for nationally recognized same-sex marriages. Fifty-four percent said states should be allowed to decide. On the national scale, 48 percent said the Court should make it nationally recognized while 47 percent said the states should decide.

“This seems to confirm prior research which has found voters in North Carolina and other Southern states often strongly support the idea of states having more autonomy when deciding social issues,” said the Elon Poll’s report on the survey.

More than 46 percent of North Carolina residents said they have a “fair amount” of trust and confidence in the Supreme Court, while 34 percent said they didn’t have very much trust in the Court. Three percent more of U.S. respondents said they had a fair amount of trust in the Court.