A new independent poll of Californians has a rather startling result about the federal health reform: two-thirds of those without insurance say they plan to get covered next year.

If that were to happen, about 4 million of California’s estimated 6 million uninsured residents would get coverage.

That’s a higher number than many health care experts in California expect to see even after the law has been in force for many years.

The result is from a poll of 1700 Californians by the Public Policy Institute of California. Sixty-six percent of the uninsured said they would get coverage, while 24 percent said they would not and 11 percent were not sure.

A study earlier this year by the UC Berkeley Labor Center and the UCLA Center on Health Policy Research projected that only 3.5 million Californians would get new coverage by 2019.

The PPIC poll also found more enthusiasm for the new law among younger people, in contrast to other recent national surveys. In this poll, 72 percent of uninsured people between the ages of 18 and 44 said they would get coverage, compared to 51 percent of those 45 and older.

The age spread is important because insurance companies need young, healthier people to sign up for the coverage in order to help absorb the cost of care for older, sicker people who get coverage.

To see the full poll, go here.