Widespread skepticism of and public opposition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), even among those likely to benefit from the new law, has been reported since the law was passed in 2010. In December 2013, for example, a New York Times/CBS News poll reported that uninsured people were confused about the law and worried that it would increase their health care costs. As a consequence, 6 in 10 said they had not looked into coverage and subsidy options in their state Marketplace. In contrast to general sentiment questions in other public opinion surveys, this brief examines Americans specific health-related expectations in order to preview potential post-reform concerns and provide insight about the trade-offs that people may make as they confront the ACAs new provisions, focusing on how people expect the quality, access, and cost of their health care to change in 2014.

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