Penalty, schmenalty.

More than a quarter of Americans without health insurance saythey're willing to pay a fine rather than enroll in a health planunder the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Though most Americans who lack insurance — 63% — say they'llobtain insurance by January, a substantial 28% said they wouldn'tenroll and instead would pay a fine, according to new Gallupnumbers.

The reluctance to buy insurance in the exchanges is higher amongRepublicans: 45% of uninsured Republicans plan to pay the fine,compared with 31% of independents and 15% of Democrats.

Under PPACA, nearly all Americans have to buy insurance by thebeginning of the year or pay a fine. In 2014, the penalty is 1percent of the person's income or $95, whichever is higher.

Among uninsured young adults — a key demographic needed to makethe economics work — 26% say they're more likely to pay the fine,compared with 30% of those 30 and older.

Additionally, Gallup said awareness of PPACA isn't the biggest hurdle anymore. Thepollsters said that 81% of uninsured Americans claim to be aware ofthe requirement to have insurance or pay a fine.

“The biggest challenge to achieving universal coverage, however,may not be in making Americans aware of the requirement or ingetting younger uninsured Americans to sign up,” Gallup concluded.“Rather, it may be getting those likely to oppose the law, namelyRepublicans, to overcome their ideological opposition to the lawand sign up for insurance.”

Gallup researchers said its latest poll could have bigimplications for PPACA goals.

“More than a quarter of people without health insurance say theyare willing to pay a fine rather than enroll in a health plan underthe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” they said.