Are the Tradeoffs from Prior Authorization Worth It?
In his latest column, President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman asks if prior authorization review could be eliminated entirely, discussing how it might be done and the tradeoffs.
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5 Questions and Answers About Medicaid and Provider Taxes
Issue BriefThis issue brief uses data from KFF’s 2025-2026 survey of Medicaid directors and from a proposed rule on provider taxes to describe states’ current provider taxes, explore how rules governing provider taxes are changing because of the 2025 reconciliation law and the regulations implementing that law, and summarizes which changes may affect each state.
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A Look at Waiting Lists for Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services from 2016 to 2023
Issue BriefThis data note provides new information about waiting lists from KFF’s most recent survey of state Medicaid HCBS programs, including a discussion of why waiting lists are an incomplete measure of unmet need and why they are not necessarily comparable across states or over time.
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Global Health Funding in the FY 2024 Final Appropriations Bill
Fact SheetUpdated: March 25, 2024 On March 23, 2024, the President signed the second package of final FY 2024 appropriations bills, otherwise known as the “Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” which was released by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on March 20, 2024, passed by the House on March 22, 2024 and passed by the Senate on March 23, 2024. The bill includes funding for U.S. global health programs at the State Department, U.S. Agency…
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Leveraging Medicaid for School-Based Behavioral Health Services: Findings from a Survey of State Medicaid Programs
Issue BriefConcerns about youth mental health and access to care continues to increase. Schools can be an easy access point for behavioral health services and Medicaid provides significant financing for the delivery of these services in schools. In this analysis, we explore the strategies state Medicaid programs are taking to promote and improve access to school-based behavioral health services, and how recent policies call on Medicaid to expand access to care for youth, particularly in schools.
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Addressing the Opioid Crisis: A Look at the Evolving Landscape of Federal OUD Treatment Policies
Issue BriefFederal policies governing substance use disorder treatment have undergone rapid changes during the pandemic; however, the extent to which these changes can address the surge in opioid overdose deaths is unclear. Some of these policy adjustments are permanent, while others could revert to pre-pandemic regulations. In this brief, we examine the following 5 key federal policies and implications for access and treatment for OUD.
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New KFF Analysis Examines Rapidly Evolving Federal Policies For Substance Use Disorder Treatment for the Opioid Epidemic
News ReleaseA new KFF analysis finds that 24 percent more buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid use disorder, was dispensed in 2022 than in 2019, the year before the pandemic brought a surge of opioid overdose deaths – and a focus on how to expand access and treatment. This upward trend in buprenorphine distribution, already in motion before the pandemic, continued throughout the COVID public health crisis, suggesting continued improvements in access to treatment even as…
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Opioid Use Disorder and Treatment Among Pregnant and Postpartum Medicaid Enrollees
Issue BriefThis brief examines opioid use disorder diagnoses and medication treatment for opioid use disorders in the prenatal and postpartum period among people with a Medicaid-covered delivery in 2017-2018.
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KFF Examines Challenges in Navigating Coverage for Opill, the First Over-the-Counter Daily Oral Contraceptive Pill, Coming to Market Next Year
News ReleaseAs Opill—the first over-the-counter daily oral contraceptive pill in the United States—is expected to be available for purchase in early 2024, new research conducted by KFF examines barriers to its accessibility for consumers and challenges in providing insurance coverage for it. Based on interviews with nearly 80 representatives from private insurance plans, state Medicaid programs, chain pharmacies, and other key groups, the report provides a deeper view into the operational challenges in expanding access to…
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What Services Does Medicaid Cover in Assisted Living Facilities?
Issue BriefThis issue brief provides information about some of the services Medicaid provides in assisted living facilities from KFF’s most recent survey of state Medicaid HCBS home care programs.