Americans still divided over Obamacare despite support edging up: Gallup

Americans are almost evenly divided about President Barack Obama's controversial health care overhaul, but its support has seen an uptick since its rollout in 2014, found a Gallup poll Friday.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has been controversial since Democrats passed the law six years ago, with not even one Republican supporting the healthcare reform.

While disapproval of the law was at an all-time high in November 2014 amid its disastrous rollout, that number shrunk from 56 percent then to 49 percent.

In comparison, 47 percent of Americans approve of Obamacare, Gallup found.

Indeed, while the law seems to have helped lower income Americans, it has also increased the cost of healthcare insurance for the middle class and has sparked a number of disruptions in the healthcare system, critics say.

But after the rollout, which came with mass cancellation of healthcare policies in late 2013, Americans are slowly warming up to the law. Support is nearly back to what it was in late 2012, when Obama enjoyed majority job approval, Gallup found.

As they have been since the law's inception, views of the overhaul are divided along party lines, with Democrats strongly positive and Republicans strongly negative.

These attitudes on the part of rank-and-file partisans are carried over by the party's presumed nominees.

While presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has vowed to repeal Obamacare immediately after taking office, likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is expected to continue Obamacare if elected.

Americans' opinions of Obamacare have fluctuated over the past four years. Just after Obama's reelection in November 2012, slightly more Americans -- 48 percent -- said they approved of the law than disapproved, at 45 percent, Gallup said.

The number of uninsured Americans has declined under Obamacare, though the law continues to be a hot issue of contention in American life, according to Gallup. Endi