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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 34-STATE POLL CONFIRMS VOTERS DON’T WANT STATE-RUN OBAMACARE EXCHANGES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 34-STATE POLL CONFIRMS VOTERS DON’T WANT STATE-RUN OBAMACARE EXCHANGES
AMERICANS WANT CONGRESS, NOT STATES, TO FIX OBAMACARE FOR EVERYONE

If the Supreme Court rules in the King v. Burwell case that taxpayer-funded ObamaCare subsidies for enrollees in federally-run health insurance exchanges are illegal, voters in the 34 states with a federal exchange don’t want the added costs and business mandates that come with a state-run exchange, according to a poll released today by the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA).

Washington, not the states, would be the target of voters’ blame if the Court rules against subsidies for federal exchanges, with 46 percent blaming Congress for poorly writing the ObamaCare law and 22 percent blaming the IRS for giving out the subsidies illegally. Only a fifth of voters say states are to blame for refusing to establish their own exchange. Half of all voters, and 76 percent of Republicans, would be less likely to re-elect their state legislator if he or she voted to establish and fund a state-run ObamaCare exchange.

Voters’ reactions may be triggered in part to the horror stories of other state-run ObamaCare exchange. Since the start of 2015, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oregon have all abandoned their state exchanges and defaulted to the federal ObamaCare exchange administered through healthcare.gov.

“ObamaCare is a federally-mandated national disaster, and voters don’t want to pay for more of it in their states if the Supreme Court guts ObamaCare’s subsidies scheme. They want action from Washington to clean up its own mess, and they want health care fixes that help everyone, not just people getting subsidies.” said FGA CEO Tarren Bragdon.

A majority of voters polled, regardless of their political affiliation, want Congress to make three critical changes to fix ObamaCare:

1. More Choice. 78 percent of voters want the ability to buy plans available before ObamaCare took effect and Washington dictated they weren’t good enough.
2. Year-Round Enrollment. 77 percent of voters want to buy health insurance coverage at any time during the year, not just during 3-month windows of open enrollment.
3. Subsidies that follow people, not just exchange plans. 68 percent of voters want subsidies to be available for all types of health plans, not just plans available on ObamaCare exchanges.

“Now it’s time for leaders in the states to step up and urge Congress to fix the problems it has created for patients and taxpayers across the country,” Bragdon said.

“Voters don’t want a state-funded exchange, regardless of how the Supreme Court rules, and they don’t want more ObamaCare costs and mandates. They want Congress to make fixes to ObamaCare that help everyone. Health care decisions are deeply personal for families. The reforms they want out of Congress will create more freedom and flexibility, not more Washington control, said Bragdon.

The 1,564-person poll was conducted during the second week of March with adults from the 34 states that have not established health insurance exchanges. FGA’s poll results can be viewed here. Further breakdown is explained here and here.

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