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.
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 analysis finds that privately insured adults who were treated for depression and/or anxiety in 2021 spent almost twice as much on annual out-of-pocket costs compared to enrollees who were not treated for a mental health diagnosis.
In this JAMA Health Forum column, Larry Levitt examines differences in the Republican presidential candidates’ records and positions on health issues, including Medicaid and abortion, that could play a role in the primaries and would set up a sharp contrast in the general election against President Biden.
This brief explains a new proposed federal regulation aimed at reducing administrative hassles involved in obtaining prior authorization for care and sets out key policy questions, including how the proposal could impact the patient experience and data privacy.
The annual update of KFF’s collection of wide-ranging data on health and health care by race and ethnicity is now available, and this year includes measures on mental health care access, mental illness, substance use disorder, suicide rates, and drug overdose death rates. The handy reference, "Key Data on Health and Health Care by Race and Ethnicity," has nearly 50 charts and up to 70 data measures that highlight the scale and scope of disparities…
This data note provides an overview of the role of the Medicare program for people with and at risk for HIV.
The provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires most private health plans to cover many preventive services without any cost-sharing for their enrollees is being challenged in federal court. The U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas in September concluded that aspects of the requirement were unconstitutional and violated religious rights but has allowed the provision to remain in effect while it considers a remedy. As the courts consider the ACA’s…
A new brief explains the implications of the most recent legal challenge contesting the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) requirement that most private insurance plans cover specific preventive care items and services—such as contraceptive services and supplies, and cancer screenings—at no cost to patients. In Braidwood Management v. Becerra, two Christian-owned businesses and six individuals in Texas have challenged the legality of the preventive care mandates on constitutional grounds. The plaintiffs are also challenging the requirement…
This post summarizes some of the key issues related to the U.S. District Court's March 30 ruling in Braidwood Management v. Becerra, which imposes new limits on the government's ability to enforce preventive service requirements nationwide.
Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced a plan to expand eligibility for Medicaid and ACA Marketplace health coverage to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. A KFF analysis finds 47% of individuals likely eligible for DACA are uninsured compared to 10% of U.S. born individuals in their age group. The analysis estimates that among those likely eligible for DACA: 84% are in a family with at least one full-time worker, 54% of adults work full-time,…
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government declared numerous types of emergencies, Congress enacted several pieces of legislation, and various executive actions were taken and waivers issued, which established time-limited flexibilities and provisions designed to protect individuals and the health system during the pandemic. This resource provides a timeline identifying key health-related flexibilities and provisions specified by these various measures, the specific measure that determines their end date, and their end date.
© 2026 KFF