Obamacare Approval Ratings Hit Record Low

Following problem-plagued rollout

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LARRY DOWNING / Reuters

U.S. President Barack Obama pauses while he talks about the Affordable Care Act in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, November 14, 2013

Public opinion about the new health care reform law has hit a new low, according to a new poll Monday.

The CNN survey found that just 35 percent of Americans approve of Obamacare, down five points since late November. Sixty-two percent said they oppose the Affordable Care Act, and 42 percent of those who disapproved said the law, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, is too liberal, CNN reports. Forty-two percent said they think their family will be worse off under the new law, up two percentage points since November.

The poll, taken between Dec. 16 and Dec. 19, was release on the day of the first major enrollment deadline. Consumers have until midnight on Monday to enroll in new coverage that begins Jan. 1. It follows a problem-plagued rollout of the law, marred by the cancellation of policies and the woeful performance of the HealthCare.gov federal insurance exchange website.

Much of the hostility toward Obamacare is coming from women, CNN analysts say. CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said that opposition to the health care law is “bad news for an administration that is reaching out to moms across the country in an effort to make Obamacare a success.” Among women, opposition has risen almost six points since November, from 54 percent to 60 percent.

The discouraging numbers come at the end of a rough year for the health care law, with tough battles in Congress and HealthCare.gov’s rocky rollout in October. While Obama has acknowledged that “we screwed it up,” he promised in his final news conference of the year that 2014 would be a “year of action” on health care.

[CNN]