NBC News Exit Poll Results: Large Share of Voters Feel Obamacare Went Too Far
According to early NBC News Exit Poll data, voters nationwide are divided about the federal health care law known as Obamacare. A 45 percent plurality of voters nationwide feel that the federal health care law went too far, but a slightly larger share say that either it was about right or did not go far enough.
This issue has been a vulnerability for Hillary Clinton, as she has vowed to improve but largely preserve Obamacare, despite the recent announcement of large premium cost increases in several states. Since it became law, public opinion about Obamacare has tended to be more negative than positive, though in the early exit poll, opinion is more evenly divided.
Not surprisingly, voters feeling that the law went too far are breaking decisively for Trump, 80 percent to 13 percent.
Obamacare was, of course, the signature domestic policy of the Obama administration. When voters were asked generally about what policy approach they would like to see from the next president, they split about evenly – some 46 percent said the next president should change to more conservative policies and an equal share said that the next president should either continue Barack Obama’s policies or change to more liberal policies.
These results suggest that even if Hillary Clinton were to win tonight, voters will continue to be divided about domestic policy – including health care.