Mar 8, 2017

Survey: Most professional service entrepreneurs want to keep Obamacare

Brennan Linsley / AP

As Congress continues to debate how it will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (if at all), Thumbtack, a marketplace for professional services from plumbing to piano lessons, surveyed 14,393 service providers about the ACA:

  • 55% of service professionals want Congress to keep the ACA in place.
  • 71% of professionals surveyed believe the U.S. government should help all Americans access affordable health insurance. Only 43.1% of self-identified Republicans feel this way, while 95% of Democrats do.
  • 91% of Republican professionals on Thumbtack approve of President Trump's handling of healthcare policy, while just 5% of Democrats and 38% of independents do. Overall, 57.5% disapprove of Trump's record on healthcare thus far, while 42.5% approve.
  • One in four full-time Thumbtack professionals surveyed say health insurance was a factor in their decision to start a business.
  • Over half of professionals reported they can't afford to take time off from work for childbirth or adoption.
  • A strong majority of Republican and Democratic professionals think the federal government should try to lower drug prices.
  • ACA's provision that prevents insurance companies from denying patients with pre-existing conditions is the most popular: 82.3% want to keep it.

Read the full report here.

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Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Rashaan Ayesh
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

George Floyd updates

Protesters gather north of Lafayette Square near the White House during a demonstration against racism and police brutality, in Washington, D.C. on Saturday evening. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have been rallying in cities across the U.S. and around the world to protest the killing of George Floyd. Huge crowds assembled in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Chicago for full-day events on Saturday.

Why it matters: Twelve days of nationwide protest in the U.S. has built pressure for states to make changes on what kind of force law enforcement can use on civilians and prompted officials to review police conduct. A memorial service was held for Floyd in Raeford, North Carolina, near where he was born. Gov. Roy Cooper ordered all flags to fly at half-staff to honor him until sunset.

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Axios
Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11:30 p.m. ET: 6,889,889 — Total deaths: 399,642 — Total recoveries — 3,085,326 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11:30 p.m. ET: 1,920,061 — Total deaths: 109,802 — Total recoveries: 500,849 — Total tested: 19,778,873 — Map.
  3. Public health: Why the pandemic is hitting minorities harder — Coronavirus curve rises in Florida — How racism threatens the response to the pandemic — Some people are drinking and inhaling cleaning products in attempt to fight the virus.
  4. Tech: The pandemic is accelerating next-generation disease diagnostics — Robotics looks to copy software-as-a-service model.
  5. Business: Budgets busted by coronavirus make it harder for cities to address inequality — Sports, film production in California to resume June 12 after 3-month hiatus.
  6. Education: Students and teachers flunked remote learning.
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Rashaan Ayesh, Rebecca Falconer
Updated 7 hours ago - World

In photos: People around the world rally against racism

Despite a ban on large gatherings implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic, protesters rally against racism in front of the American Embassy in Paris on June 6. Photo: Julien Mattia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Tens of thousands of people have continued to rally in cities across the world against racism and show their support this week for U.S. demonstrators protesting the death in police custody of George Floyd.

Why it matters: The tense situation in the U.S. has brought the discussion of racism and discrimination onto the global stage at a time when most of the world is consumed by the novel coronavirus.

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