President Barack Obama and California Governor Jerry Brown Credit:  Eric Paul / Fresno Bee

By Christopher Cadelago, Sept. 23, 2014, Sacbee.com

The Affordable Care Act continues to divide Californians, who remain skeptical four years after its passage despite the state’s relatively smooth launch in which more than 1.2 million people enrolled in health insurance coverage.

A new survey released late Tuesday found some 42 percent of state residents generally view the law favorably, while 46 percent harbor unfavorable opinions. Support is down somewhat since May, before a wave of targeted TV ads began in a handful of competitive congressional districts.

Democrats view the law positively while an overwhelming majority of Republicans (80 percent) see it unfavorably. Of the 1 in 5 Californians who say that they were aided by the law, 31 percent say that it allowed them or a family member to obtain or retain health care.Meanwhile, of the 1 in 5 who said they have been harmed by the law, more than half reported it led to higher costs while about 20 percent say it made it more difficult to get coverage.

The survey, by the Public Policy Institute of California, also determined likely voter sentiment on other major issues:

• Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown leads Republican Neel Kashkari by 21 percentage points in the race for governor, with the challenger failing to alter the dynamic after their only scheduled debate. Brown, running for a historic fourth term, leads Kashkari 54 percent to 33 percent among likely voters with fewer than 50 days before the general election.

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