American now know less about health care reform than they did last year

COLUMBIA, MO (KBIA) - Americans now know less about the main provisions of Obama’s health care reform law than they did at the end of last year. That’s according to the latest monthly poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Here in Missouri, a majority continues to oppose the law. Only about 30 percent of Missourians support the Affordable Care Act.

Ryan Barker is Director of Health Policy at the Missouri Foundation for Health. A poll by that group found that despite broad opposition to health care reform, Missourians are supportive of individual components of the law.

"People don’t like the Affordable Care Act, but then when you dig a little deeper people don’t really know what’s in it and how it’s gonna impact them,” Barker says. “We asked questions specifically about, well, do you like tax credits for small businesses, do you like that insurance companies can’t deny care based on preexisting conditions, and those all poll favorable, in the high 70s or low 80s.”

Barker was in Columbia Monday to answer questions about the law’s impact. Eileen Todd was there, and says she doesn’t oppose or support health care reform.

"Right now I don’t have any opinion or knowledge of it. I guess my first concern is how it will affect me personally," Todd said.

Jim Kabler asked how the law would close the so-called “donut hole” – the gap in drug coverage under Medicare.

"I’m a small user of drugs, but I could have to increase it in the next year or two, and the donut hole might be more significant at that time," Kabler said.

Most of the major components of reform go into effect starting in January 2014. I’m Jacob Fenston in Columbia.

Jacob Fenston, KBIA

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