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KFF designs, conducts and analyzes original public opinion and survey research on Americans’ attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with the health care system to help amplify the public’s voice in major national debates.
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In the 39 states that are adopting or may adopt the high unemployment hardship exception, about 1.4 million or 7.5% of Medicaid expansion enrollees live in one of the 133 counties that currently meet the high-unemployment criteria.
An overview of PEPFAR reporting requirements under current and past law.
CMS is taking a new approach to fraud that will rely more heavily on options to pause or withhold significant amounts of federal funding in cases of potential fraud, which could have broad implications for states and enrollees. This issue brief explains the new approach.
The American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) recognized KFF’s Mollyann Brodie, Ph.D., with the AAPOR Award for Distinguished Achievement for her outstanding leadership and contributions to the field of public opinion research over three decades. Also, KFF’s Surveys of Immigrants received the 2026 AAPOR Inclusive Voices Award, which recognizes work examining complex challenges related to underrepresented populations.
This brief summarizes the history, rationale, and policy issues related to the federal government's key vaccine injury compensation programs, known as the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) and Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).
In addition to ongoing litigation, last September the Trump administration FDA, after requests from anti-abortion organizations and state attorneys general, initiated an internal review of mifepristone’s safety. This adds uncertainty as the agency could revise dispensing rules independently of the courts. With the FDA commissioner’s resignation this week and no permanent leader in place, the timeline for completing the review remains unclear.
On May 22, the House passed a reconciliation bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which would partially pay to extend expiring tax cuts by cutting Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the bill would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $793 billion over ten years and 10.3 million fewer people would be enrolled in Medicaid in 2034, including 1.3 million people with Medicare, otherwise known as “dual-eligible individuals”.
State Medicaid and public health agencies both work to advance the health of their communities, often pursuing similar priorities and serving similar populations. This brief examines findings from KFF's 25th annual Medicaid budget survey, which asked state Medicaid directors about new or enhanced initiatives involving public health in FY 2025 or planned for FY 2026.
KFF’s latest Health Tracking Poll finds that confidence in the independence of key government health agencies overseeing food and drug safety and public health is low among the public and across partisans. Most of the public also share a distrust of agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical companies to act in the public’s best interest, compared with doctors and health care providers who are much more trusted among the public. The latest edition of the Monitor also…
This brief examines recent state trends in Medicaid behavioral health coverage and payment and state coverage of select treatment models for people with serious mental illness—a population that has historically faced significant barriers to care. This includes details about coverage of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) (as a provider type), Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), and Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis (CSC-FEP).
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