'Really confused': Kaiser/NBC poll finds Americans angsting over health-care law

'Really confused': Kaiser/NBC poll finds Americans angsting over health-care law Americans remain deeply divided on the Affordable Health Care Act, with half confused about how it works or worried about how much it will cost them, a new poll shows. On the eve of open enrollment to buy health insurance under the law, and as Republicans threaten to defund the program, the Kaiser Family Foundation/NBC survey found an anemic level of enthusiasm about the program among ordinary people and splits among party lines. Just over half said they were worried, while slightly less said they were confused. Twenty-nine percent said they were angry about the ACA, compared to just 24 percent who described themselves as enthusiastic. "It's how many thousands of pages and taller than most people," said Lauren Cathis, 49, of Canton, Ohio, adding that she is relieved she is covered by Medicare and doesn't have to navigate the purchase of insurance in the coming months. "It's so complex, how can I believe any of the numbers I've been given?" Those numbers are the source of much of the angst surrounding the biggest change in health care in years. Nearly three-fourths of those surveyed said they were very or somewhat worried that they would have to pay more for their health care or health insurance and that their income would be outpaced by rising costs. "I'm really confused, but one thing I know is I can't afford it," said Earle Griffis, 46, a commercial fisherman from Milton, Fla., who was one of the 1,503 people polled between Sept. 12-18. Griffis said he doesn't have health-care insurance now because it costs too much, so he's left a hernia that runs from his navel to his rib cage and heart problems untreated. When enrollment begins Oct. 1, he and other uninsured Americans will be asked to go shopping for a plan in state-based exchanges that are supposed to keep premiums low and provide low-income discounts. Griffis doesn't plan to sign up. He said he estimated it would cost him up to $700 a month in premiums — or 20 percent of his income — though he conceded that was based on prices he was quoted for coverage before Obamacare.Those required to buy insurance under the law who opt out will pay a penalty: $95 per adult or 1 percent of their income, whichever is higher, for the first year, and rising in subsequent years. Underscoring some of the misinformation and confusion surrounding the rollout, Griffis said he had heard he would be fined $200 a month. "I can't pay that," he said. "I guess they'll have to haul me to jail." In Boise, Idaho, 25-year-old Bryan Neba was also bewildered by some of the components of the ACA. But one thing was crystal clear to him: Next year, he will be able to have an operation on an injury he's "just been living with." Because he has a pre-existing condition, Neba said, he's been rejected by insurance companies or quoted prices as high as $500 a month, which would have been a third of his income at the time. He thinks he'll pay less than $200 if he buys insurance through his state exchange. "Insurance companies would not be able to turn me down," he said. "I'm pretty optimistic about it." Even as a solid supporter of the ACA, however, he had concerns, including whether the government can foot the bill. "I want it to be feasible," he said. "I don't want the government to go broke.' The polling data shows that attitudes toward the law differ somewhat according to whether someone already has insurance. More of the uninsured are worried or confused than those who are already covered and don't have to enroll by 2014. But it's the political fault lines that run the deepest, as they have been since the law was proposed. While just a quarter of Democrats say they are worried about it, three-fourths of Republicans fret. More than half of Republicans say they're angry, with numbers even higher among Tea Party members; only 12 percent of Democrats say they feel the same.