Only 44% of Americans support President Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare, according to the poll.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over half of the US public disapprove of President Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, the latest poll carried out by the Gallup research organization said on Thursday.

"Americans' support for the healthcare law continues to be slightly more negative than positive. Now, 44% of Americans support the law, also known as Obamacare, and 51% disapprove of it — similar to what Gallup measured last November," Gallup said after releasing the survey results.

The drop in approval follows August's decision by the third largest US health insurance company, Aetna, to sharply limit its participation in Obamacare. Two other major US health insurance companies, United Health Care and Blue Cross, had also decided to stop participating in many government-regulated insurance exchanges leading to fears of spiking insurance costs.

In early 2016, Obamacare approval ratings stood at 47 percent, according to Gallup figures, and less than half of respondents disapproved of the health insurance system overhaul.

The number of respondents saying their families were harmed by the ACA also rose in August, rising from 26 to 29 percent between May and August. More respondents also viewed Obamacare as harmful to their family in the long run, with 36 percent saying the act will make their family's healthcare situation worse in the future compared to 24 percent expecting improvements.

Gallup’s survey was conducted by telephone across a random nationwide sample of 1,015 adults on August 30-31 with a 4-percentage point margin of error.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is a federal statute signed into law by Obama on March 23, 2010. Together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act Amendment, it represents the most significant regulatory reconstruction of the US healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 and aims to increase insurance coverage as well as lowering costs and improving accessibility.