Journal article
The Affordable Care Act and Polarization in the United States
RSF : Russell Sage Foundation journal of the social sciences, Vol.6(2), pp.114-130
07/2020
DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2020.6.2.05
Abstract
We argue that partisan polarization in public support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is affected not only by policy design but also by which party makes those decisions. Using an innovative dataset that measures state-level quarterly ACA support from 2009 through the start of the 2016 presidential election, we find that opinions toward the ACA are less polarized in states with misaligned partisan environments where Republican governors support Medicaid expansion. We also find evidence that Republican opposition intensifies when a Democratic governor supports expansion. We do not find consistent evidence of such patterns for governors' positions on state health insurance exchanges. Our research sheds light on a key aspect of how health policy preferences respond to shifting political contexts in a polarized, federated polity.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The Affordable Care Act and Polarization in the United States
- Creators
- Julianna PachecoJake HaselswerdtJamila Michener
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- RSF : Russell Sage Foundation journal of the social sciences, Vol.6(2), pp.114-130
- DOI
- 10.7758/RSF.2020.6.2.05
- ISSN
- 2377-8253
- eISSN
- 2377-8261
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/2020
- Academic Unit
- Center for Social Science Innovation; Public Policy Center (Archive); Political Science
- Record Identifier
- 9983989298802771
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