News Release Archives

In Response to Home-Care Workforce Shortages, Most States Report Increasing Medicaid’s Payment Rates and Expanding Worker Opportunities

Oct 24, 2023

News Release

Almost every state reported increasing Medicaid payment rates for home- and community-based services to recruit and retain workers as part of their strategy to address long-standing workforce challenges, according to a new report from a survey of state officials administrating those programs. Most states also report developing or expanding worker education and training programs and offering incentive payments to recruit or retain workers. All surveyed states reported shortages of care workers and most (43 states)…

Benchmark Survey: Annual Family Premiums for Employer Coverage Rise 7% to Nearly $24,000 in 2023; Workers Contribute $6,575 on Average Now, But Potentially More Soon

Oct 18, 2023

News Release

Amid rising inflation, annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance climbed 7% on average this year to reach $23,968, a sharp departure from virtually no growth in premiums last year, the 2023 benchmark KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey finds. On average, workers this year contribute $6,575 annually toward the cost of family premium, up nearly $500 from 2022, with employers paying the rest. Future increases may be on the horizon, as nearly a quarter (23%)…

KFF Health News, NPR, and CBS News Win Loeb Award for Series on Medical Debt in America

Sep 29, 2023

News Release

KFF Health News won the 2023 Loeb Award in the personal finance and consumer reporting category for its in-depth coverage of consumer medical debt in its “Diagnosis: Debt” series. In partnership with NPR and CBS News, KFF Health News examined the stories behind the more than 100 million people in America who have been pushed into debt by the nation’s health care system, revealing the epidemic of medical debt that has become a defining feature…

Poll: Nearly Half of Adults Expect to Get the New COVID-19 Vaccine, But Most Parents Don’t Expect to Get It for Their Children; More Eligible Adults Expect to Get a Flu Shot and the New RSV Vaccine

Sep 27, 2023

News Release

Nearly half of adults say that they will “definitely” or “probably” get the newly recommended COVID-19 vaccine, though most parents are not planning to get the shot for their children, according to the latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor poll. Among all adults, 23% say they will definitely get the new vaccine, 23% say they will probably get it, while 19% say they will probably not get it and 33% say they definitely not get it.…

As Congress Considers Reauthorization of PEPFAR, KFF Examines the Role of Abortion

Sep 22, 2023

News Release

As Congress considers reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for a fourth time, KFF explores the debate over abortion policy that has stalled the legislation and the potential implications if Congress does not reauthorize the program. PEPFAR spans more than 50 countries and has been reported to have saved 25 million lives since President George W. Bush created it in 2003. Funding for the program in FY 2023 was $6.9 billion,…

KFF Research Shows that Medicare Open Enrollment TV Ads Are Dominated by Medicare Advantage Plans Featuring Celebrities, Active and Fit Seniors, and Promises of Savings and Extra Benefits Without Fundamental Plan Information

Sep 20, 2023

News Release

The annual blitz of ads for Medicare Advantage plans has become a rite of fall, as health insurers, brokers and other third parties seek to court enrollees for these private plans, which are offered to the 65 million people with Medicare during the program’s open enrollment season. In advance of the open enrollment period starting on October 15, KFF reviewed more than 1,200 unique television ads that aired more than 643,000 times last year to…

End of Pandemic-Era Policies in Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services Could Challenge Family Caregivers and Enrollees

Sep 19, 2023

News Release

Family caregivers played a key role in supporting people who used Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS) during the COVID pandemic. Many states used new pandemic-era authorities to support and pay family caregivers and maintain services in other ways amid workforce shortages and other challenges. Now, several states are ending payments to family caregivers and unwinding other pandemic-era policies, which could complicate ongoing workforce shortages and create new challenges for enrollees, according to survey of…

About 1 in 5 Nursing Facilities Would Currently Meet Proposed Requirements for Nursing Staff Hours

Sep 18, 2023

News Release

Eighty-one percent of nursing facilities would need to hire additional staff to comply with new nursing staff requirements that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed earlier this month, according to a new analysis from KFF. Under the proposed rule, 19% of nursing facilities would currently meet the minimum staff hours for registered nurses and nurse aides.A smaller share of for-profit facilities would meet the proposed staffing requirements. Compared to 60% of non-profit…

Immigrants Overwhelmingly Say They and Their Children Are Better Off in the US, But Many Also Report Substantial Discrimination and Challenges, a New KFF/Los Angeles Times Survey Reveals

Sep 18, 2023

News Release

A new KFF-Los Angeles Times partnership survey of immigrant adults – the largest nationally representative survey focused on immigrants – shows that while most feel they found a better life for their families in this country, many also face economic hardships and discrimination. Conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles Times, the survey of more than 3,300 immigrants conducted in 10 languages captures the varied experiences of immigrants living in the United States today, including…

Large Shares of Black Adults, Hispanic Adults, and Rural Residents are Unsure Whether to Believe Many False Health Claims

Sep 15, 2023

News Release

Drawing on KFF’s Misinformation Pilot Poll, KFF today released three follow-up reports examining exposure to, and belief in, health misinformation among Black adults, Hispanic adults, and rural communities. As with the general public, large shares within each group are uncertain about whether each of 10 false health claims are true or not, describing them as either “probably true” or “probably false.” This uncertainty leaves people vulnerable to misinformation but also provides an opportunity to combat…

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