US: 1 in 5 support Republican health care bill

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Republican charge to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's signature health care law was dealt another major blow Wednesday in a poll that found only 20 percent of voters approve of the efforts.

The number dips even lower in the NPR-PBS Newshour-Marist poll when voters were asked about the Senate's health care plan. Only 18 percent voice approval compared to 57 percent who are at odds with the proposal.

While support is expectedly low for Democrats and Independents, it is also far from what the Republican Party would like to see from its base.

Of those polled, just 35 percent who identified as a member of the Republican Party said they approve of their party's efforts in the Senate.

The Senate's plan was assessed this week to result in 22 million more Americans lacking coverage by 2026 than under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Reductions to the federal deficit would largely be fueled by deep cuts to a social program that seeks to provide health care for low-income Americans.

Following the Congressional Budget Office's evaluation, the Senate's Republican leadership was forced Tuesday to put off a vote they hoped to hold this week.

They are currently lacking direly-needed intra-party support essential in the chamber where the party has a razor-thin 52-seat majority.

The number of Republicans opposed to the legislation swelled to at least seven following Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's decision to delay the bill.

Dissent within the Republican caucus can be ill-tolerated for McConnell ahead of a planned vote as Democrats and the chamber's two Independents are expected to be uniformly unified in opposition.