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This policy watch looks at the major new Ebola outbreak in DRC, discusses how the U.S. government has responded so far, and describes how the current situation compares to prior U.S. Ebola responses.
This analysis explores recent actions the Trump administration has taken to limit youth access to gender-affirming care. Each has a connection to the Justice Department and to the state of Texas. These measures are widely seen as an escalation in this policy area and could add to the chilling effect already characterizing the provision of gender affirming care.
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.
This policy watch examines the United States’ measles elimination status, including what it means to eliminate measles, whether the current measles outbreak could threaten the country’s measles elimination status, and what losing that status might mean for measles control.
States are facing constrained budgets, putting pressure on HIV programs, including the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. This Policy Watch explores how state Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) are responding to these budget pressures, including by restricting eligibility and reducing the scope of services offered, actions that could led to negative health outcomes for people with HIV and lead to new HIV infections.
This brief examines efforts in 11 states to fill in funding gaps created by the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law, which prohibits federal Medicaid funding for reproductive-health care services provided by Planned Parenthood and other organizations that also provide abortion care.
On February 14, 2026, CMS released a dataset with provider-level spending data that the agency suggests could be used to identify unusual billing patterns for specific services, states, or providers. This policy watch describes what the data include, what they exclude, and how they could potentially lead to mistaken conclusions given the limitations of the data.
This issue brief explains why it can be misleading to compare the first year of Rural Health Transformation Program allocations with estimated Medicaid cuts, which will be implemented on a gradual basis and not fully take effect until 2027, after the rural health fund is exhausted.
Nebraska is the first state to announce it plans to begin enforcing Medicaid work requirements early, starting May 1, 2026. Initial reports from the state during its recent January Medicaid Advisory Committee (MAC) meeting and data from KFF’s Medicaid work requirements tracker provide early insights into how Nebraska is preparing for implementation.
This policy watch discusses the implications for the U.S. health care workforce of the recent DOS immigrant visa pause for individuals from 75 countries deemed more likely to be a public charge.
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