ObamaCare: Not a Boon or Bust for Either Party Come Midterms

With midterm elections just a few months away, ObamaCare is weighing heavy on voters’ minds.

A new survey from Bankrate (NYSE:RATE) finds that while voters say the law will impact how they cast their ballots, it’s not necessarily bad news for Democrats—or Republicans.

Bankrate surveyed 1,003 Americans by phone.

Seven in 10 Americans say ObamaCare will influence their vote for their Congressional representatives, and of that group, 32% say they will be more likely to vote Republican compared to 26% leaning Democrat. As far as independent voters are concerned, 1 in 4 say they are likely to vote Republican, compared to 1 in 8 who say they are more likely to vote Democrat.

In addition, Americans with an annual household income of $50,000 or more were most likely to say that Obamacare would play a role in how they vote this fall.

Doug Whiteman, Bankrate.com insurance analyst, says there was always an assumption that the Affordable Care Act would become a decisive issue during midterms

The president’s signature legislation mandates every person in the country have insurance or face a penalty for failing to comply with the law.

“It is a motivating factor for voters, but it doesn’t seem to motivate them one way or another,” Whiteman says.

“The messy launch of the ACA exchanges isn’t going to be a big loser for Democrats or a huge slam dunk for Republicans.”

In fact, more Americans report their health-care situation is better now than it was this time last year. The amount of Americans that indicated their coverage is better doubled from August 2013 to June 2013, according to Bankrate’s Health Insurance Pulse.

The report finds 52% of Americans would like to see the new Congress make minor or major changes to the ACA, while 12% say they would want to keep the law exactly as is.

Thirty percent say they would like to see the new Congress completely repeal ObamCare, which is a 15-point decrease from when Bankrate first asked about repealing the ACA in April 2014.

“It’s interesting that when you give [respondents] change as an option that it comes out on top,” he says. “There is a growing feeling that the law is here to say, and we need to accept that. Previously we gave only two options—repeal or continue as is.”