Health reform to hurt economy?

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of President Obama’s controversial health-reform law, nearly half of Americans believe the reform will hurt the economy, a Gallup poll finds.

A random sample of 1,061 adults from all 50 states concluded that 46 percent of U.S. residents believe the reform will have negative economic consequences, while 37 percent think the changes will help the economy, according to the Wall Street Journal. There was a clear divide down party lines—78 percent of Republicans believed the law would be harmful, while 62 percent of Democrats believed it would be positive.

“The fact Americans do tie [the law] into the economy is important because that could drive their perceptions of the law overall and of course, how they might vote,” said Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport.