GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) -- People are still divided in their views of President Obama's health care law, despite Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding key parts of the plan.
A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds only about one-third of Americans favor the so-called "Obamacare" plan. The poll suggests 52% of Americans oppose the plan.
Supporters at Cherry Street Health Services say the plan will make prescriptions more affordable and help the uninsured get the health care they need.
"There are 32 million people in this country who will now be able to go to sleep at night assured that if they have health care difficulties, they will have the means to help themselves resolve those needs," says Chris Shea with the clinic.
"I think the problem is there's two words that some people don't like -- one is 'Obama' and the other is 'taxes'," says supporter Amy Payne. "I say get over it."
Business leaders believe the plan may backfire for the President. Charlie Owens, the Michigan state director for the National Federation of Independent Business(NFIB), expects half of the state's businesses with more than 50 employees will eliminate health care coverage for workers. Owens says the federal "penalty" for not providing employee health care coverage for these companies is about $2,000 per worker, while the average cost of insurance per employee is six times that amount.
"It's cheaper and they're awfully tired of being in the health insurance industry because of the regulations and the taxes that have been imposed on them," says Owens.
"I think with the economic situation that we're in, this is bad news. I don't think this is going to help with the job situation in America or in Michigan. I also predict that if this law continues to be implemented, you'll pretty much going to see the end of the employer-based model of health insurance in this country."
The NFIB was one of the groups that joined 26 states in the lawsuit against the health care law. That lawsuit is now dead in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.