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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.
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.
State Health Facts is a KFF project that provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States. It offers data on specific types of health insurance coverage, including employer-sponsored, Medicaid, Medicare, as well as people who are uninsured by demographic characteristics, including age, race/ethnicity, work status, gender, and income. There are also data on health insurance status for a state's population overall and broken down by age, gender, and income.
This policy watch provides an update on the status of state adoption and implementation of the Medicaid 12-month postpartum coverage extension option as states wrap up their 2022 legislative sessions.
The Uninsured in Rural America Summarizes the number of uninsured individuals in rural America, who they are, and the barriers to coverage they experience. Fact Sheet (.pdf)
Health Affairs Article: From 'Soak The Rich' To 'Soak The Poor': Recent Trends In Hospital Pricing The May-June 2007 issue of Health Affairs features a Foundation-supported study on recent trends in hospital pricing, including comparisons of rates charged to self-pay patients versus those with insurance coverage. The article also examies three specific policy options that could lower the markups for self-pay patients: a voluntary effort by hospitals, litigation, and legislation Health Affairs article "From 'Soak…
This chartbook presents analysis of national data on health insurance coverage based on a county's proximity to a large urban area. It answers questions of how much health insurance coverage differs among people living in rural vs. urban communities, as well as, the differences in socio-economic and employment characteristics of those living in rural vs. urban counties. Chartbook (.pdf)
Diane Rowland, executive vice president of Kaiser, testified to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation about the health care needs of New Orleans' residents and their access to health services in the area. Her testimony was a part of the hearing, "Post-Katrina Health Care in the New Orleans Region: Progress and Continuing Concerns, Part II." Testimony (.pdf)
A Kaiser study published as a Health Affairs web-exclusive article finds the number of working-age adults who have major chronic conditions grew by 25 percent between 1997 and 2006 and those without health coverage in this group experienced substantial erosion in access to health care. The study also reveals that finds the cost of prescription drugs more of a problem today for all with chronic conditions, regardless of insurance coverage status. Health Affairs Abstract Health…
This Kaiser Family Foundation report documents the persistence of disparities between white women and women of color across the country. It provides a rare and comprehensive state-level look at disparities among women of different races and ethnicities on a broad range of indicators of health and well-being, including rates of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, AIDS and cancer, and access to health insurance and health screenings.
This brief examines a new option under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 that allows states to receive federal funds for providing Medicaid and CHIP coverage to lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women regardless of when they entered the country. Previously, states had been prohibited from using federal Medicaid or CHIP funds to cover legal immigrants who had been in the country fewer than five years. The brief, the fifth installment…
This issue brief examines some of the challenges associated with employment, daily life and access to health care among racial minorities, who tend to be disproportionately affected by many of the consequences of economic hard times. High unemployment rates, coupled with vast differences in savings and wealth, have left many individuals struggling to afford such basic necessities as housing and food, and have resulted in lapses in health coverage and difficulties paying for needed medical…
This brief examines uninsured parents and how they could be affected by health reform, including estimates of how many might qualify for coverage under a Medicaid expansion, how many would be eligible for subsidies and how many would not be eligible for such help. Issue Brief (.pdf)
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