A Gender Gap in Economic Security for Seniors
Following up on an earlier column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank on seniors and poverty, Drew Altman looks at why older women will be more at risk of economic insecurity than men in the future.
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.
Following up on an earlier column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank on seniors and poverty, Drew Altman looks at why older women will be more at risk of economic insecurity than men in the future.
Following up on an earlier column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank on seniors and poverty, Drew Altman looks at why older women will be more at risk of economic insecurity than men in the future. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available.
Based on a baseline survey of low-income Americans and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), this report, The Uninsured at the Starting Line, provides data on insurance coverage, barriers to care, and financial security among uninsured adults before ACA implementation.
Women at Greatest Risk for Being Uninsured, 2012 Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation and Urban Institute analysis of the March 2013 Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Four in Ten Uninsured Women Live Below the Poverty Line Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation and Urban Institute analysis of March 2013 Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Rates of Uninsured Women, by State Download Source State-level figures based on Urban Institute and Kaiser Family Foundation estimates of pooled 2012 and 2013 Current Population Surveys, U.S. Bureau of the Census.
Community health centers are a key source of primary care in underserved areas. Their role will grow as coverage expands under the ACA. To sharpen understanding of the health center patient population, this brief compares them to the low-income population overall, using the Health Center Patient Survey and National Health Interview Survey. The pre-ACA profile of health center patients that emerges sets the stage for measuring change and highlights important implications of states’ Medicaid expansion decisions.
This brief examines the cost and use of health care among low-income nonelderly adults who are covered by Medicaid relative to their expected service use and costs if they instead had employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) coverage or were uninsured. The analysis controls for a wide array of factors that also influence utilization and spending in an effort to isolate the specific effects of Medicaid coverage. Consistent with previous research, the analysis underscores how Medicaid facilitates access to care for program beneficiaries.
Drew Altman, President and CEO of the Foundation, was asked to contribute to the New York Times' Room for Debate discussion on More Medicaid, More Health? In his piece, Dr. Altman concludes "Insurance -- public or private -- provides financial protection and access to medical care which low-income people need just as everybody else does. But it cannot by itself change behavior, alleviate poverty, or guarantee that the medical system is doing all it can to improve health."
© 2026 KFF