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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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A new KFF issue brief provides an overview of online options for contraceptive and STI services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This resource also includes an interactive table that shows which platforms are available in each state and which accept private insurance or Medicaid.
As the U.S. coronavirus outbreak spreads beyond densely populated metropolitan areas, a new KFF analysis finds that rural areas typically have fewer intensive care hospital resources than their urban counterparts, and populations at greater risk of developing serious illness and complications from COVID-19. While metro and non-metro areas have similar numbers of hospital beds per capita (23.5 vs 23.8 beds per 10,000 people), non-metro areas have fewer intensive care (ICU) beds – about 1.7 per 10,000 people,…
With President Trump and some Republican governors pushing to restart the nation’s economy, most of the public (80%) supports strict shelter-in-place policies to limit the coronavirus’ spread compared to just one in five (19%) who say these measures pose unnecessary burdens and cause more harm than good, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. Majorities of Republicans (61%), independents (84%) and Democrats (94%) support the shelter-in-place orders, though four in ten Republicans (38%) say such…
Nearly half (45%) of adults across the country say that worry and stress related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are hurting their mental health, an early sign that the health and economic crises is likely to increase mental health problems and further stretch the system’s capacity. A new issue brief explores how the crises and related measures to protect public health, including social distancing, business and school closures, and shelter-in-place orders, are likely to affect…
As more coronavirus cases and deaths are confirmed in jails and prisons, states can utilize programs and other policy actions to mitigate the risk and spread of the disease within facilities and the broader communities in which they are located, according to a new issue brief from KFF. More than two million individuals are incarcerated in prison or jail each year, while millions more move into and out of incarceration over the course of the…
KFF’s Kaiser Health News (KHN) and Guardian US today launched Lost on the Frontline, a special project aiming to document the life of every health care worker in America who dies from COVID-19 during the pandemic. This includes medical professionals like doctors, nurses and paramedics, and others working at hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities, including aides, administrative employees and cleaning and maintenance staff. Lost on the Frontline, a digital memorial, will initially launch…
Patients Could Still Be on the Hook for Outpatient Costs, Costs If They Test Negative, and Cost Sharing A new KFF analysis estimates that between 670,000 and 2 million uninsured people around the country eventually could be hospitalized with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Reimbursing hospitals for those treatments could cost between $13.9 billion and $41.8 billion. Trump administration has indicated that it plans to reimburse hospitals for the care of…
The COVID-19 outbreak will likely disproportionately affect communities of color in both their health and their pocketbooks, compounding longstanding racial disparities in health and economic conditions, according to a new KFF analysis. While comprehensive data about how the COVID-19 crisis is unfolding are not yet available, early data from some areas suggest groups of color are experiencing disproportionate health and economic impacts. As of April 6, to cite a few examples: In Illinois, groups of…
Americans, Regardless of Partisan Identity, Prioritize Slowing Coronavirus’ Spread over Restarting the Economy With coronavirus cases rising and businesses shutting down, four in 10 (39%) U.S. residents say they already have lost a job or income due to the crisis, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. This includes most part-time workers (54%), as well as nearly half of parents with children under age 18 (47%) and those paid hourly or by the job (45%).…
KFF’s Kaiser Health News (KHN) will hire a full-time Montana-based correspondent and recruit a team of freelance reporters to expand its coverage of health care policy and politics in the region, including the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic. The expansion is made possible by a new long-term partnership among KFF, the Montana Healthcare Foundation, and the Headwaters Foundation, and follows the opening last year of KHN’s Mountain States Bureau in Denver and its Midwest Bureau in St. Louis. Media outlets from…
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