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.
The Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker is an online hub monitoring how well the U.S. health system is operating through key quality and cost measures. A partnership of the Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF, the Tracker documents trends in Health Spending, Quality of Care, Access & Affordability, and Health & Wellbeing through issue briefs and downloadable chart collections. The Tracker also includes the Interactive Health Spending Explorer tool, which helps users analyze more than 50 years of health expenditure data, and a Health System Dashboard, which provides quick and easy access to the latest, most relevant statistics.
A new analysis shows that individuals with employer insurance could save 41% on their out-of-pocket spending for asthma and COPD inhalers through manufacturer savings. In response to a U.S. Senate investigation into inhaler costs, 3 drug makers voluntarily capped out-of-pocket costs on their brand-name asthma and COPD inhalers.
This analysis of initial rate filings from all 50 states and DC shows ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 18% for 2026, more than double last year’s 7% median proposed increase. The analysis includes proposed rate changes by state and insurer.
This chart collection explores how health spending is expected to grow in coming years, with a look at growth in prescription drug spending, out-of-pocket spending, and related trends.
This analysis of preliminary rate filings submitted by 105 ACA Marketplace insurers in 19 states and DC shows that ACA Marketplace insurers are requesting a median premium increase of 15% for 2026, which would represent the largest hike in premiums since 2018, the last time policy uncertainty contributed to sharp premium growth. The scheduled expiration of enhanced tax credits and impact of tariffs on some drugs, medical equipment, and supplies are among the factors pushing…
This analysis of preliminary rate filings submitted by 105 ACA Marketplace insurers in 19 states and DC shows that ACA Marketplace insurers are requesting a median premium increase of 15% for 2026, which would represent the largest hike in premiums since 2018, the last time policy uncertainty contributed to sharp premium growth. The scheduled expiration of enhanced tax credits and impact of tariffs on some drugs, medical equipment, and supplies are among the factors pushing…
This analysis looks at the share of family income people with employer-based coverage pay toward their premiums and out-of-pocket payments for medical care. The cost of employer sponsored health insurance—including premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs—has risen steadily over time.
Every summer, health insurers submit rate filings to state regulators detailing expectations and justifying premium rate changes for ACA-regulated health plans for the coming year. With the enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of 2025, consumers can expect increases in how much they pay for coverage. KFF examines 23 early insurer premium filings from Vermont, Oregon, Washington, and Washington, DC, which include an additional 4 percent increase in premiums, on average,…
The No Surprises Act, which was signed into law by President Trump during his first term and took effect in 2022, aims to protect consumers from certain surprise medical bills. The law established processes to keep the patient out of the payment negotiations between the provider and the plan. In the event of an unsuccessful negotiation, providers and payers enter an independent dispute resolution (IDR) process in which a designated third-party arbitrator examines eligible evidence…
KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare examine market trends contributing to rising health costs and identify several potential federal and state policy issues to watch throughout 2025, including high-cost drugs, federal funding cuts, and workforce shortages.
This chart collection examines five types of indicators: outcomes of treatment, provision of appropriate treatment, patient safety, preventive services, and health system capacity and workforce shortages. Measuring quality in health care is complex: a vast number of metrics are used to monitor health system performance since there is no singular definition of quality, and data is often limited and delayed.
© 2026 KFF