Americans wary of Affordable Care Act, report unfamiliarity with law

More Americans disapprove than approve of the Affordable Care Act, a recent poll indicates, less than two months before the changes take effect nationwide. Forty-nine percent of Americans said they disapprove of the law, and 41 percent said they approve of it, Gallup reported. More Americans are also pessimistic about how the law will impact their families' healthcare situation. Less than a quarter said the law will make the situation better and 38 percent said it will make it worse. The views are very similar to the results of a June poll, Gallup said. Despite the administration's education campaign, only 15 percent of Americans said they are very familiar with the law, and those who said they are very or somewhat familiar with the law are more likely to disapprove of it than approve of it, Gallup reported. Younger Americans are less likely to report familiarity with the law, but are also far less likely to disapprove of the law, Gallup said. The results are based on telephone interviews Aug. 17-18. Gallup surveyed 1,021 adults and the margin of error is 4 percentage points.