Too Many Americans Don't Know 'Obamacare' Is the Same Thing as the Affordable Care Act

As illustrated by numerous late-night Jimmy Kimmel spoofs, it's clear that there are still a lot of people in this country who are confused about what Obamacare is and what it does. However, thanks to a new poll, we now have a solid statistic—a third of Americans have no idea that Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are actually the same thing, the New York Times reports.

The Morning Construct survey polled 1,890 adults online and found that 35 percent of them either thought the two names belonged to different polices, or said they didn't know that they were names for the same healthcare law. Perhaps more worrisome, young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who made less than $50,000 seemed the most confused about Obama's signature healthcare act—a major demographic that the bill was designed to help.

Maybe even worse, when asked what would happen when "Obamacare" was repealed, roughly 44 percent of people did not realize that would mean a repeal of the Affordable Care Act—12 percent said a repeal of Obamacare would not result in a repeal of the ACA, and 32 percent said they didn't know. That means almost half of all Americans don't understand what would happen if Republicans went through with their plan to "repeal and replace" Obamacare.

Additionally, 39 percent of people didn't know or incorrectly answered that Medicaid subsidies would not disappear if the Affordable Care Act was repealed, according to Business Insider. While 72 percent of Republicans polled knew that Obamacare was another name for the Affordable Care Act, only 47 percent of them said Medicaid coverage and subsidies would disappear should it be repealed. On the other hand, 79 percent of Democrats said Medicaid would be affected, something Bernie Sanders has vocally warned against while using a giant poster of Trump's tweet on the Senate floor.

Although a large chunk of Americans are still clearly confused, they may have some time to educate themselves before Congress makes any moves on a repeal. Donald Trump had called on Congress to make repealing the Affordable Care Act a top priority, but now Republicans are reportedly looking into repairing the bill, rather than scrapping it altogether.

According to the Morning Construct poll, 45 percent of Americans approved of Obamacare, and 46 percent said they disapprove, despite widespread confusion over its name.