Poll: Kentuckians still oppose Obamacare, but favor fixes, not repeal, and think state insurance exchange works well

Most Kentuckians still oppose the federal health-reform law, but think it should be changed rather than repealed, and most think the state health-insurance exchange created under the law is working well. So says a poll taken for The New York Times and the Kaiser Family Foundation in four Southern states with key U.S. Senate races this year: Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana and North Carolina.

"Debate over the law is expected to dominate the midterm elections. Attacks on the law are featuring prominently in campaigns across the country, and Republican lawmakers have continued to push for the law’s replacement," Sabrina Tavernise and Allison Kopicki write. "Questions about it may evoke associations with an unpopular president, the remoteness of Washington from ordinary Americans and extra costs in family budgets. But majorities say they do not want it taken away, even in states that lean Republican in presidential elections."

Among the four states, Kentucky is the only one that is running its own exchange, and the only one in which a majority said it is working well. In Arkansas, which has a combined state-federal exchange, a plurality said it was working well. The other two states use the federal exchange, which had a troubled rollout.

Kentucky is the only Southern state that created its own exchange and expanded Medicaid to include people in households with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. The poll found support for Medicaid expansion in all four states, and 55 percent in Kentucky gave Gov. Steve Beshear, who made both decisions, a positive job rating.

The poll, done with landline and cellphone interviews April 8-15, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points in each state. (Read more)