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.
Health Policy 101 is a comprehensive guide covering fundamental aspects of U.S. health policy and programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, employer-sponsored insurance, the uninsured population, health care costs and affordability, women's health issues, and health care politics. The Health Care Costs and Affordability chapter explores trends in health care costs in the U.S. and the factors that contribute to this spending. It also examines how health care spending varies across the population, the impact of costs on care affordability and individuals' overall financial vulnerability.
Most adult Medicaid enrollees who will be subject to new work requirements are already working but rely on Medicaid because their employers do not offer health coverage or they are not eligible for the coverage offered at their job. This analysis examines the availability of job-based insurance in 2024 for adult Medicaid workers ages 19 to 64.
As the Trump administration promotes its new TrumpRx website and other efforts to lower prescription drug prices, a growing majority of the public worries about being able to afford prescription drugs, and large majorities across parties want the government to do more to regulate prices, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds.
A new Peterson-KFF policy explainer lays out the health care trends shaping the 2026 policy debates, including rising premiums, spending on prescription drugs, health care price transparency and consolidation, artificial intelligence in health care, Medicaid funding cuts and other key program changes.
Following the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits for people with Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans, a new KFF follow-up survey of the same Marketplace enrollees KFF surveyed in 2025 finds half (51%) of returning enrollees say their health care costs are “a lot higher” this year compared to last year, including four in ten who specifically say their premiums are “a lot higher.”
In a new column, Dr. Drew Altman, KFF’s President and CEO, discusses the impact of the war in Iran and rising gas prices on voter concerns about health care costs. He writes: “Recently, we saw health care costs rise to the top of the public’s list of economic worries, ahead of food, housing, utility costs and the cost of gas….Expect gas prices to rise and health care costs to fall on the list of affordability…
This analysis highlights the health care affordability challenges facing LGBT adults, a growing population that faces health related disparities. Findings from KFF Health Tracking Polls show that LGBT adults face more widespread concerns with affording basic necessities, including health care, compared to non-LGBT adults.
A new column on the uninsured from President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman explains: “The uninsured is not the most politically salient problem in health care now, that’s affordability, nor is it the non-problem some say it is. But it’s coming back. And the problem of the chronically ill uninsured is glaring.” Read more.
03/05/10 Engaging consumers more directly in their care may improve health outcomes and help control the costs of care. This briefing, cosponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and the AARP Public Policy Institute, focused on the potential for changing consumer behavior to promote the use of effective interventions and discourage unnecessary care. It addressed questions such as: How promising are consumer engagement techniques such as patient self-management, shared decision-making and value-based insurance design? What…
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 are now law. But many people have questions about the new reforms. To answer questions about the major provisions of these two laws, the Alliance for Health Reform and The Commonwealth Fund sponsored an April 16 briefing. For more information, please visit Alliance's event page. Full Video Speakers for this session: The panel is co-moderated by Karen…
The slide show provides an initial look at the deductibles for medical care and the specific deductibles applied to prescription drugs for the plans offered in the federally facilitated and partnership Marketplaces for 2015 operating with healthcare.gov.
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