One-third of Americans don't realize ObamaCare and the Affordable Care Act are the same thing

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last updated 8 February 2017

ObamaCare. Affordable Care Act. Call it what you want, Republicans still want to repeal it. But one-third of Americans haven't figured out those two names refer to the same law, a new poll from Morning Consult has found.

The poll, published Tuesday, revealed that 35 percent of Americans are unaware that ObamaCare is just another name for the Affordable Care Act. Seventeen percent of respondents thought ObamaCare and the ACA were two different laws, while another 18 percent simply weren't sure if the two names meant different things.

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Many of those confused respondents make under $50,000 and are between the ages of 18 and 24 — groups that are most likely to be affected by an ACA repeal. What's more, 45 percent of Americans said they had no idea the law could be repealed soon, and a majority aren't even completely aware of what ending the ACA would do. Some ObamaCare opponents haven't even realized they're receiving coverage through the Affordable Care Act, and they've been mocked on late night TV and social media.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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