Nearly two-thirds of those polled said they did not know that the health insurance exchanges were set to open on Oct. 1, including almost three-quarters of uninsured Americans. And half of Americans were under the impression that the law created a government-run insurance plan that would compete with private sector insurance plans.
Four in 10 Americans held the misconception that illegal immigrants would receive financial assistance to attain health insurance, and the same proportion said they believed the government would set up death panels.