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 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 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.…
This Health Policy 101 chapter explores how health policy in the U.S. is linked to politics, with the direction of policy influenced by who is in power. Health care is often a major issue in political campaigns, and the chapter examines its potential role in elections, with a focus on current health issues that could impact the next election.
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 volume explores findings from the KFF-Washington Post Survey of Parents on views of childhood vaccines; how ACIP may have contributed to concerns about hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccines; recent HHS warnings about alleged links between Tylenol use in pregnancy and autism; and AI-generated deepfakes impersonating doctors to sell products.
This volume explores confusion around COVID-19 booster eligibility as federal recommendations shift and conflicts with guidance from physician organizations; Florida’s decision to end school vaccine mandates; and research demonstrating that artificial intelligence chatbots can provide generally sound advice, but struggle to make personalized recommendations.
This volume examines how prompting techniques can reduce incorrect medical information from AI chatbots; false claims linking vaccines to sudden infant death syndrome; the promotion of an industrial solvent as an allegedly suppressed cancer cure; misunderstandings about the risks of overdose from fentanyl exposure; and ongoing myths about sunscreen safety.
KFF is tracking the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 federal budget bill, including new Medicaid work and verification requirements and a reduction in the expansion match rate for states that use their own funds to cover undocumented immigrants.
This volume analyzes findings from the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust, which show that just over half of adults say they use social media to find health information and advice, but less than half trust the health content they see across an array of social media sites and apps. It also examines false claims linking a mercury-based vaccine preservative to autism, following a federal decision to withdraw recommendations for flu vaccines…
KFF's Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds that just over half of adults use social media for health information and advice at least occasionally but fewer than half say they find “most” or “some” of the information they see on each platform trustworthy.
© 2026 KFF