

Americans are almost evenly split on whether they want a repeal of President Barack Obama's health care law, but a majority of repeal supporters say they want lawmakers to present the details of a replacement plan before scrapping the Affordable Care Act, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll.

Congressional Republicans have presented several alternatives to Obamacare but haven't unified on a specific plan or even on details about if and how long repeal will be delayed. Democrats decried this lack of consensus on Capitol Hill this week, saying that repeal would introduce chaos into the health care system. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll suggests Americans share concerns about what would take Obamacare's place. Still, slightly more people report they want to repeal Obamacare than those who report they do not want to see the law repealed.

Also, while Republican lawmakers have made repealing Obamacare their No. 1 priority, the poll suggests that when it comes to health care, Americans have other concerns in mind. While the law remains largely unpopular, support for reducing the amount people pay for care and dealing with the country's opioid epidemic rank above Obamacare's repeal.

When asked about a series of priorities on health care, most respondents said lowering the amount people pay for health care should be a top priority, followed by lowering the cost of prescription drugs. Dealing with the opioid epidemic ranked above repealing Obamacare.

President-elect Donald Trump promised to repeal Obamacare during his presidential campaign, and his latest statements on the matter as well as his Cabinet selections suggest he intends to keep his vow. Democrats this week have launched an offensive strategy to shield Obamacare from repeal, mostly by aiming to sway public opinion about the law.

They appear to have some convincing to do: The Kaiser Family Foundation poll revealed that more people tend to view the law unfavorably than favorably – at 46 percent and 43 percent, respectively – an attitude that has remained largely unchanged since the law's passage almost seven years ago. The poll, conducted in mid-December, was compiled through phone interviews with 1,204 adults.