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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.
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This brief provides an overview of the relationship between racial discrimination and health and highlights research examining mechanisms underlying health outcomes linked to experiences of racial discrimination, including biological changes, chronic stress, mental health, substance use, pregnancy-related outcomes, and sleep.
In February 2026, there were 345,000 fewer children enrolled in Medicaid/the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) compared to before the start of the pandemic in February 2020, a 1% decline, according to the latest data from CMS.
Nineteen percent of adolescents experience moderate to severe anxiety and 2 million have a substance use disorder. This analysis covers the latest data on adolescent mental illness, suicide and drug overdose trends, and access to care.
Exposure to gun violence can have severe adverse effects on the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents, including increased likelihood of depression, PTSD, anxiety, and poor academic performance. This brief explores these impacts in addition to the various ways in which youth are exposed to gun violence, both directly and indirectly.
This brief analyzes the latest youth mortality data from the CDC, finding that nearly 22,000 children and adolescents died by firearm in the past decade. More information on trends over time, type of firearm deaths, and how these deaths vary by demographic and state are available in this brief.
Secretary Kennedy's efforts to narrow the childhood vaccine schedule does not reflect the views of most parents, but KFF polling suggests it may have more appeal among President Trump's base.
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…
This issue brief reviews the major sex education models and funding streams that are most commonly used, highlights state policies on sex education, and summarizes what is known about the impact of these programs and policies on teen sexual behavior and health outcomes.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, deaths due to drug overdose among adolescents more than doubled, primarily driven by the synthetic opioid, fentanyl. National survey data show that while the percent of adolescents (ages 12-17) with a past year substance use disorder decreased from 2021 to 2024, the share of adolescents with a past year opioid use disorder remained stable over the same period. Additionally, less than one-third of adolescents with a past year opioid use…
The KFF-Washington Post partnership Survey of Parents explores experiences and views pertaining to childhood vaccines. The Survey of Parents also sheds light on school vaccination requirements, views on federal health agencies and policy changes, and the views of parents with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This poll comes as the Trump administration revamps federal policies, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to question the childhood vaccine schedule.
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