POLL: 82 Percent of Americans Support the ACCESS Act

Mar 20, 2024 by AFP

Legislation introduced by U.S. Reps. Greg Steube and Kat Cammack empowers millions of lower-income Americans with greater control over their health care.

Arlington, Va. – Americans for Prosperity today published new survey data highlighting widespread support for H.R. 5608, the ACCESS Act. The legislation, introduced by U.S. Reps. Greg Steube and Kat Cammack, empowers millions of lower-income Americans with greater control over their health care by offering them the opportunity to put a portion of their Affordable Care Act cost-sharing reduction subsidy into a health savings account with no changes to their existing plan or coverage.

According to the poll, 82% of Americans support the bill, with support strong across party lines (78% of Republicans, 79% of Independents, and 88% of Democrats).

A majority of Americans (54%) say lower income Americans have substandard health care options and deserve to have access to the same options as other individuals. 69% agree that the ACCESS Act gives lower-income Americans access to some of the same health care options better-off Americans enjoy.

71% like how the bill is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to save taxpayers close to $30 billion over the next decade. 67% like that the bill includes strong anti-fraud protections to ensure that individuals can only use their HSAs for qualified medical expenses.

68% like that the HSAs created by the ACCESS Act would allow account holders to pay for services that their health plan doesn’t cover. 65% like how unspent funds in these HSAs can be saved or invested, allowing lower-income Americans to build a rainy-day fund for future health expenses.

“The ACCESS Act is extremely popular because it delivers on what Americans want – more affordability, more choice, and more control over our health care,” said Dean Clancy, senior health policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity. “From lower costs for struggling families to tens of billions in taxpayer savings, there’s something for everyone to like in the ACCESS Act. We applaud Reps. Steube and Cammack for working to ensure that millions of lower-income individuals can access the same health care options that other Americans enjoy.”

Background:

On behalf of Americans for Prosperity, Public Opinion Strategies conducted this national online survey with 1,000 registered voters between February 15-18, 2024.

The ACCESS Act empowers approximately 5 million lower-income Americans to gain more control of their health care. The legislation creates a new “HSA option” allowing individuals enrolled in subsidized health-care plans to redirect a portion of their subsidies under the Affordable Care Act — commonly known as cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) — into a tax-advantaged health savings account (HSA). Instead of these funds being controlled by insurance companies, the ACCESS Act places control of the money in the hands of patients. Participation is completely voluntary, allowing Americans satisfied with their current arrangement to remain where they are. Learn more about the bill in National Review.