The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
KFF’s policy research provides facts and analysis on a wide range of policy issues and public programs.
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.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the organization’s core operating programs.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores LGBTQ+ people’s identities and demographics, their experiences with health and health care, including the significant disparities, and the related federal and state health policy landscape.
This Health Policy 101 chapter outlines the U.S. government's historical efforts in global health, which aim to improve health in low- and middle-income countries. While the U.S. has been engaged in international health activities for over a century and has historically been the largest funder and implementer of global health programs worldwide, it is currently undergoing a fundamental shift, with a significantly reduced footprint and role. Key issues addressed include the future direction of U.S. global health leadership, the ability of global health implementers and other donors to continue efforts, and the future role of multilateral institutions in global health.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores the performance of the U.S. health system on a number of cost, outcomes, and quality measures by comparing it with those in similarly large and wealthy OECD nations. It highlights that despite significant spending, Americans have shorter life expectancies and encounter more barriers to health care, influenced by both the health system's structure and broader socioeconomic factors.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI), the primary health coverage source for non-elderly residents in the U.S. In addition to detailing ESI requirements and incentives, structure, availability, and costs, the chapter examines ongoing challenges related to affordability and access to care for those with ESI coverage.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores why polls and surveys are essential for understanding health policy issues and aims to teach you how to evaluate polls effectively. It covers the importance of polls in policy analysis, key considerations for interpretation, polling methodologies, and questions to assess the usefulness of polls. The chapter concludes with real-world examples demonstrating how polling informs policy debates.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores Medicare, a federal health insurance program covering more than 68 million people, established in 1965 for people age 65 or older and later expanded to cover people under age 65 with long-term disabilities. In addition to detailing Medicare eligibility, coverage, and spending, the chapter examines the increased role of private plans in providing benefits and the financing challenges posed by increasing health care costs and an aging population.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores how national and state policies shape coverage and access to care for women, with a focus on recent policy and legal developments that affect women's health. It takes a deeper dive into the policies that drive health coverage and costs, reproductive and maternal health access, mental health care, and intimate partner violence and how these policies shape the health of women who are at greater risk of being marginalized, discriminated against, or face health inequities.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores Medicaid, the primary U.S. program providing comprehensive coverage of health care and long-term services and supports to about 80 million low-income people. Originating in 1965 and expanding with the Affordable Care Act, the chapter reviews Medicaid's evolution, including 2025 changes, and its joint federal and state financing and administration. It discusses how state-level flexibility in managing Medicaid leads to variation in coverage, spending, health care delivery, and access across different states.
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores trends in health care costs in the U.S. and the factors that contribute to this spending. It also examines how health care spending varies across the population, the impact of costs on care affordability and individuals' overall financial vulnerability.
This Health Policy 101 chapter provides an overview of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a major reform of the U.S. health care system aimed at reducing high uninsured rates and alleviating issues like high out-of-pocket costs and coverage exclusions for preexisting conditions. The ACA significantly altered many aspects of the health system and the chapter explores its mechanisms, such as the Health Insurance Marketplaces, and the evolution of the law since its passage in 2010 to the changes in the 2025 budget reconciliation law.
© 2025 KFF