This law was one the majority of Americans didn't want to begin with and the majority still don't want it. It was forced upon, those in favor will say passed with roughly 38% of Americans for it, 53% against it.
Oh? So why is it now 45.7% favor, 49.3% against on RCP? Why did approval jump 5 points after the election?
Approval ratings for the ACA are not static. Equally important is that over 20 million people have gained coverage because of it, and as soon as people realized the ACA was in jeopardy, they signed up in droves -- 2.7 million people added in 2016, if I'm reading the reports correctly.
By the way, Medicare wasn't particularly popular when it started. Now, it's one of the most popular programs in the US. Go figure.
Below are the polls thanks to RCP....
You cherry-picked two old dates. Not impressive.
Today, Gallup shows this forced/passed law is helping 18% of Americans, hurting 29% of all Americans and no effect on 51% of Americans.
Gallup also well aware that this is largely a partisan issue, including on that particular measure:
"Because Republicans are much more likely (46%) than Democrats (9%) to say the new law has hurt their family, it is possible that some of those who say "hurt" are giving a political response rather than an actual report on the law's effect on their lives."
Meanwhile, the point of the CNN article is that the ACA does more than just provide health insurance for over 20 million people, and reverses over a decade of increases in the ranks of the uninsured. It reduces Medicare costs, by about $800 million a year; it incentivizes hotels to treat Medicare patients more thoroughly, to avoid readmissions; it forces insurers to cover preventative care and screening tests (colonoscopies, mammograms) and contraceptives; it is slowly closing the Medicare Part D "Donut Hole," and it will be gone in 2020; extending coverage to children that are up to 26 will be removed; the exchanges will likely get shut down; Medicaid expansions will be gone.
Ironically, the ACA allows insurers to sell across state lines, as long as the states agree to it. No one took them up on it, because there's no benefit to it. A Texas insurer isn't going to benefit by offering coverage in Georgia, where the insurer doesn't have a network. Nor will its Georgia customers.
And for what? What, exactly, will replace the ACA? Republicans have had 8 years to propose an alternative. What do we get? Health savings accounts? How will that help, when most people can't put money away in the first place? State high risk pools? Those don't work. So tell us, what do you have to offer that will work better than the ACA? Keep guaranteed issue? Keep the exchanges? Keep saving Medicare $800 million a year?