Table 3.
Self-Reported Opinions Regarding the ACA and Professional Responsibility by Political Identity Among 1,660 Participants at Seven Institutions, From a Study of Medical Students’ Views on Health Care Reform and Professional Responsibility, 2017
| Agreement, no. (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement | Conservativea | Moderate | Liberalb |
| General ACA opinions | |||
| I understand the basic components of the Affordable Care Act. | 92/118 (78.0) | 139/199 (69.8) | 1,077/1,271 (84.7) |
| I support the Affordable Care Act. | 42/118 (35.6) | 144/197 (73.1)c | 1,235/1,269 (97.3)c |
| The Affordable Care Act will have a negative influence on my future career in medicine. | 50/118 (42.4) | 32/199 (16.1)c | 40/1,271 (3.2)c |
| ACA provision opinions | |||
| I support requiring all Americans to have health insurance. | 49/118 (41.5) | 132/198 (66.7)c | 1,137/1,270 (89.5)c |
| I support requiring health insurance plans to cover contraceptive methods and education. | 66/118 (55.9) | 163/199 (81.9)c | 1,234/1,269 (97.2)c |
| Professional responsibility opinion | |||
| Addressing health care policy issues, as important as that may be, falls outside the scope of the professional obligations of a physician. | 14/118 (11.9) | 29/199 (14.6) | 54/1,270 (4.3)c |
Abbreviation: ACA indicates Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
a
Conservative status includes students who identified as somewhat conservative and conservative.
b
Liberal status includes students who identified as somewhat liberal and liberal.
c
P < .001 compared to “Conservative” (P values not shown).