Survey: Public opinion on healthcare mandate is subject to change

Public opposition on the healthcare law’s individual mandate softens when people consider that the government will help people pay for insurance, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, found that attitudes toward the mandate changed based on how the question was phrased. The results suggest that public opinion on the issue “may not be especially firm,” Pew said.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two weeks over whether the mandate is constitutional. It is generally seen as one of the least popular elements of President Obama’s healthcare law, and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has faced criticism from conservatives because he implemented a similar mandate as governor of Massachusetts.

The Pew survey described two components of the mandate — the financial penalty for not buying insurance, and government subsidies for people who cannot afford coverage on their own. When questioners mentioned the subsidies first, then the penalty, 63 percent of respondents opposed the mandate. When the question was flipped, and ended by noting that the government would provide financial help, only 49 percent said they disapproved of the policy.

Overall attitudes toward the healthcare law are split about evenly, according to the Pew poll. Those findings are consistent with other surveys, which have shown a roughly 50-50 divide in public opinion since the law was passed two years ago.

According to the Pew findings, 47 percent of respondents said they approve of the new law, while 45 percent disapprove. The law is most popular with people younger than 30 (58 percent approval), Hispanics (66 percent) and blacks (83 percent).

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