Access to Care - Research and Data from KFF

Tracking Key Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Actions Under the Trump Administration

Jul 10, 2026

Tracker

A new KFF tracker highlights key federal policy actions during President Trump’s second term that concern issues related to mental health and substance use. The second Trump administration has emphasized law-and-order strategies and scaled back several mental health and substance use-related services, while also continuing some treatment-focused initiatives. The tracker can be viewed in multiple ways, including chronological order of policy actions and by category (Mental Health; Opioids/Substance Use Disorder; Federal Infrastructure/ Data/Guidance; and Gun…

A Look at 1115 Waiver Evaluations for Medicaid Payments to Institutions of Mental Disease (IMD) for Substance Use Disorder

Jul 9, 2026

Issue Brief

As SUD IMD waiver evaluations and renewals are becoming available, states face a shifting Medicaid and policy and waiver landscape. This brief examines findings from the first available summative evaluations for SUD IMD waivers and what they show about progress toward meeting goals and milestones.

How Unaffordable is Health Care?

Jul 9, 2026

Video

Health care affordability is a top issue for many people. Why and how did care get so expensive? In this three-part video series, KFF experts look at the rising cost of health care in the U.S. from the macro level to the issues facing everyday Americans. Drawing on KFF policy analysis and polling, the videos examine the underlying drivers of health care spending, the true cost of employer sponsored health insurance and whether the Affordable…

Contraceptive Implants: Access and Coverage in the U.S.

Jul 8, 2026

Fact Sheet

The contraceptive implant is the most effective method of birth control available, and while it’s use is still low compared to other methods, its provision and use are increasing.

The Trump Administration Continues to Advance Incremental Site-Neutral Payment Reforms

Jul 6, 2026

Quick Insights

The Administration’s proposed changes for certain imaging services would further advance site-neutral payment reform but, like prior changes, are modest relative to more expansive options raised by MedPAC and others.

Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions Impacting LGBTQ+ Health

Jul 3, 2026

Fact Sheet

This tracker examines Executive Actions taken by the Trump administration that have the potential to impact LGBTQ+ people’s health. It lists the action taken by date, provisions relevant to LGBTQ+ health, and describes potential impact, including litigation challenging these actions.

Medical Frailty and Medicaid Work Requirements: Challenges for People with HIV

Jul 1, 2026

Policy Watch

This analysis examines Medicaid work requirements and the implementation of medical frailty exclusions for people with HIV in light of CMS's implementing regulation.

Litigation Involving Reproductive Health and Rights in the Federal Courts

Jul 1, 2026

Feature

This State and Federal Reproductive Rights Litigation tracker aggregates information about ongoing litigation regarding abortion bans and restrictions, FDA approval of Mifepristone (an abortion pill) and other federal regulations.

States Sue CMS Over Medicaid Work Requirements Rule, Citing Departure from Earlier Guidance on Medical Frailty

Jun 30, 2026

Quick Insights

Less than a month after CMS released its interim final rule on Medicaid work requirements, 24 states, including DC, sued the Trump administration over its interpretation of the 2025 reconciliation law’s requirements — including most notably the medical frailty exemption.

AI: Show Me the Outcomes

Jun 30, 2026

Podcast

Chip talks with Dr. Toyin Ajayi, co-founder and CEO of Cityblock Health, which delivers value-based care to more than 100,000 Medicaid and dual-eligible members across ten states, many of them people of color managing chronic conditions. Ajayi makes a pointed case: Roughly 60 percent of health care AI investment goes to billing, coding, and risk adjustment — making sure someone gets paid — while only a fraction goes to delivering care. If we continue to…

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