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.
A new KFF analysis examines how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting U.S. territories as well as issues related to the upcoming expiration of temporary Medicaid funding for the territories at the end of September. Prior to the pandemic, the U.
This brief explores factors contributing to poor mental health and substance use outcomes among children during the pandemic, highlighting groups of children who are particularly at risk and barriers to accessing child and adolescent mental health care.
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.
KFF and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) hosted a web event on February 3, 2022 featuring oncologists, patient advocates, and policy researchers with expertise in equity and cancer care to examine persistent racial disparities in cancer. Expert panelists shared real-life experiences, provided context on the latest data, and discussed a range of actions which could help ensure that all individuals with cancer receive the highest quality, equitable cancer care and help to eliminate disparities in cancer outcomes.
Section 1115 demonstration waivers provide states an avenue to test new approaches in Medicaid and generally reflect changing priorities from one presidential administration to another. This issue brief summarizes waiver priorities and actions under the Biden Administration as well as pending waiver themes and other issues to watch. If the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) fails to pass or is narrowed significantly, Medicaid waivers and other administrative actions may be a key tool for the Biden Administration to advance policy priorities absent legislation.
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.
Overall cancer mortality rates have decreased for all racial and ethnic groups, with the largest decrease among Black people. However, Black people continued to have the highest risk of cancer death.
While climate change effects ripple across the world and all populations, it is poised to disproportionately affect people of color, low-income communities, immigrants, and other high-need groups.
This brief examines two proposed federal rules that would further restrict youth access to gender affirming care. One rule would change the hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs) which would prohibit most Medicare and Medicaid enrolled hospitals from providing certain types of gender affirming medical care for young people and the other would prohibit federal Medicaid or CHIP funds from covering this care. The rules have a 60-day comment period, do no take immediate effect, and are expected to face litigation, if finalized.
Contingency management is an evidence-based psychosocial intervention that uses motivational incentives, such as vouchers or gift cards, to encourage recovery behaviors like stimulant abstinence and treatment session (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy) attendance. The Biden administration has approved five state contingency management waivers (California, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington); two additional state contingency management requests are currently pending federal review.
© 2025 KFF