Access to Care - Research and Data from KFF

Key Facts on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity

Jan 26, 2022

News Release

With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting communities of color disproportionately in their health and economic well-being, long-term racial and ethnic disparities have received growing attention. But these inequities in our health system are not new and are a part of larger issues of systemic racism. An updated KFF chart pack analyzes a wide array of measures of racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care and other factors which can contribute to these disparities. The…

Adults Who Report Not Having a Personal Doctor/Health Care Provider by Sex

Sep 26, 2025

State Health Facts Indicator

KFF Examines New Rule Giving LGBTQ+ People More Protections Against Discrimination in Health Care

May 15, 2024

News Release

A long-awaited new rule recently finalized by the Biden Administration gives LGBTQ+ people more protections against discrimination when seeking health care and coverage from a range of programs and organizations, including Medicaid, Medicare, Health Insurance Marketplaces, many health insurance plans, and most hospitals and providers. The rule has been subject to a wave of litigation across the Obama, Trump, and Biden Administrations and the Biden Administration's new rule reinstates protections eliminated by the Trump Administration.…

The Debate Over Federal Medicaid Cuts: Perspectives of Medicaid Enrollees Who Voted for President Trump and Vice President Harris

Feb 25, 2025

Report

The Republican-led Congress is considering plans to cut Medicaid to help pay for tax cuts, with the House budget resolution targeting $880 billion or more in potential reductions to federal Medicaid spending. To better understand the experiences of Medicaid enrollees and their perceptions of potential changes to the program, KFF conducted five virtual focus groups in January, including three groups with participants who had voted for President Trump in the 2024 election and two groups…

Understanding the Inequitable Impacts of Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters in the Wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Oct 16, 2024

Policy Watch

The Southeast region of the U.S. is particularly vulnerable to severe tropical storms due to climate change, and its persistently high poverty rates inhibit residents’ ability to prepare for and recover from storms. Many of the states in the Southeast have not implemented the ACA Medicaid expansion, leaving lower income residents with more limited access to health care, which may lead to challenges addressing their health needs.

Access Uncertain for New Injectable PrEP as the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Open Enrollment Begins

Nov 18, 2025

Policy Watch

This analysis examines access to, and consumers ability to find information on, a new twice annual long-acting PrEP drug during the first ACA open enrollment period since its approval. Despite the drug widely being considered a major advance, early evidence suggests that insurance coverage and benefit design decisions may create barriers to access.

Key Data on Health and Health Care for American Indian or Alaska Native People

Dec 19, 2025

Report

AIAN individuals experience significant health disparities compared to their White counterparts. People who identified as AIAN alone have shorter life expectancies (70.1 vs 78.4 years at birth), higher rates of chronic diseases, and higher rates of suicide deaths and substance use disorder.

Potential Implications of the New Medicaid Data Sharing Agreement Between CMS and ICE

Jan 14, 2026

Issue Brief

This issue brief provides an overview of a new data sharing agreement for CMS to share Medicaid data with ICE and its potential implications for health care access and data privacy.

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Prior Authorizations Rank as Public’s Biggest Burden When Getting Health Care

Feb 2, 2026

Poll Finding

KFF's health tracking poll finds that beyond costs, insured adults say prior authorization is their biggest challenges when accessing care. About seven in ten (69%) insured adults say prior authorizations are burdensome, and a third (34%) choose prior authorizations as their single biggest health care burden.

Health and Health Care Among Adults with Previous Experiences of Homelessness: Findings from the KFF Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health

Sep 13, 2024

Poll Finding

This report examines the circumstances and health needs of adults who report previous experiences with homelessness. Analysis of KFF's Racism, Discrimination, and Health survey finds that people who have experienced homelessness have disproportionate health needs and face great socioeconomic challenges than those who have never experienced homelessness.

Topics

Policy Research

Polling

Health News

Data & Features

For Media

About

View the Latest: Access to Care

Filter