Poll: Majority of Americans support 'repeal and replace' of Obamacare

The majority of Americans support repealing and replacing Obamacare, or at least significantly modifying the law, a new American Action Network poll reveals.

According to the poll, which was detailed by the The Hill, 54 percent of voters told the conservative AAN that they would like to see the law completely repealed or undergo significant changes. Only 43 percent said the law is fine as-is or requires only minor tweaks.

When asked if they would support a repeal of Obamacare if a replacement were passed simultaneously and if Americans would get to keep their existing coverage for a transition period, the number of respondents who said they support a repeal of President Barack Obama's signature accomplishment spiked to 70 percent.

One of the leading reasons voters cited for why they think Obamacare should be replaced was rising costs that are making health care coverage dramatically more expensive for many Americans — something Obama promised would not happen.

Indeed, Obamacare premiums will spike by an average of more than 20 percent nationwide this year, with many states seeing much higher jumps. In fact, premium costs in Arizona will spike 116 percent in 2017 alone.

The rising costs have even led a plurality of Democrats polled to view the law negatively and support a simultaneous repeal and replace, 48 percent to 43 percent.

Still, there are aspects of the law that an overwhelming majority of Americans agree should stay: namely requirement that health insurance companies to cover Americans with pre-existing conditions and the provision that that allows children to stay on their parents' insurance until age 26. Respectively, 92 percent and 79 percent of respondents said those two aspects of the law should be written into a replacement law or not repealed at all.

It's not yet clear what plan of action Congress intends to make regarding the ailing health law, but President-elect Donald Trump and congressional GOP leaders have said that repealing Obamacare is their top priority in 2017.

However, there is some dispute over how a repeal and replace should be executed. Some argue that the law should be repealed and a replacement be passed later, but others are increasingly outspoken about the necessity of immediately replacing the law when it is repealed.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul has arguably been the loudest voice in Congress over the last week who has warned about the dangers of not immediately replacing the law, saying that it could send health insurance companies into a downward spiral and require the American taxpayers to save them via bailouts.

Paul said Friday that Trump supports his plan to simultaneously repeal and replace the law.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence told congressional leaders Wednesday that he expects a bill repealing Obamacare to hit the the president's desk exactly one month after next week's inauguration.