Access to Care - Research and Data from KFF

The Pandemic’s Impact on Children’s Mental Health

May 26, 2021

News Release

The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the nation’s mental health, and a new issue brief shows that children are also facing worsening emotional and cognitive health. The brief examines factors contributing to worsening mental health and substance use outcomes among children and adolescents during the pandemic, looking closely at those who are at higher risk for negative mental health impacts, such as LGBTQ youth and children of color. A review of recent research…

Climate Change and Health Equity: Key Questions and Answers

May 24, 2022

Issue Brief

While climate change poses health threats for everyone, people of color, low-income people, and other marginalized or high-need groups face disproportionate risks due to underlying inequities and structural racism and discrimination.

Charges for Emails with Doctors and other Healthcare Providers

Mar 6, 2024

Issue Brief

Patient-provider email messaging accelerated early in the COVID-19 pandemic as more patients sought medical care remotely, and the addition of billing codes for digital health services and subsequent changes in insurers’ payment policies have enabled providers to bill insurers and patients for messaging. This analysis examines the typical cost of patient-provider email messaging in 2020 and 2021 using private health insurance claims data. The typical cost for an email messaging claim was $39 in 2021,…

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.

Standardized Plans in the Health Care Marketplace: Changing Requirements

May 8, 2023

Issue Brief

This brief examines the evolving requirements for insurers on HealthCare.gov to offer standardized plans that follow set cost sharing rules for covered benefits in addition to other plans they might offer. It also reviews how some state-run marketplaces have used standardized plans to limit cost sharing for insulin, mental health care, and other services.

Mental Health and Substance Use State Fact Sheets

Mar 20, 2023

Feature

This analysis and series of state fact sheets examine data looking at mental health and substance use disorder across states and capacity to meet residents’ during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Implementing Medicaid Work Requirements: Lessons from Unwinding

Apr 14, 2026

Issue Brief

This brief highlights lessons from “Medicaid unwinding" that could help inform work requirement implementation. State experience with Medicaid unwinding illustrated the complexity of Medicaid eligibility processes and that outcomes reflect federal and state policy decisions, implementation and systems.

Adults Who Report Not Seeing a Doctor in the Past 12 Months Because of Cost by Sex

Sep 26, 2025

State Health Facts Indicator

Novel Coronavirus “COVID-19”: Special Considerations for Pregnant Women

Mar 17, 2020

Issue Brief

With over 6 million pregnancies per year in the U.S., pregnant and breastfeeding women constitute a significant portion of the population that could be impacted by COVID-19. This brief summarizes what is known thus far about pregnancy and COVID-19.

Brief Examines Proposed Changes to Federal Anti-Discrimination Protections in Health Care that Would Limit Protections related to Gender Identity, Access to Abortion and Language Access

Jul 1, 2019

News Release

A new brief analyzes the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to federal anti-discrimination regulations that would eliminate existing protections in health care related to gender identity and access to abortion, and narrow protections for non-English speakers.

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