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 Public Health chapter examines how public health is governed and delivered in the United States. It includes explanations of key public health frameworks, services, capabilities and characteristics, how the public health system works in state, local and territorial governments, and public health funding, workforce, and communication challenges in an era of declining trust.
This Policy Watch examines the continued impact the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on gender is having on LGBTQ health policy issues, inlcude the removal of information and data, adoption of new CDC priorities, and approach to new PrEP recommendations.
Following the Trump administration’s warning last month that using acetaminophen – the active ingredient in Tylenol – during pregnancy can increase the risk of autism in children, very few adults say the claim about a causal relationship is “definitely true,” though much of the public is uncertain whether to believe it. Trust in the CDC to provide reliable vaccine information has fallen to a new low.
Efforts to correct misinformation can unintentionally amplify it by increasing engagement, repetition, and visibility. During times of low trust, even debunked claims can erode confidence in health institutions. Communicators can limit amplification by focusing on verified facts, using prebunking and strategic debunking, and strengthening trust with credible messengers.
Family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance reached an average of $26,993 this year, KFF’s annual benchmark health benefits survey of large and smaller employers finds. On average, workers contribute $6,850 annually to the cost of family coverage, with employers paying the rest.
States have begun to form "health alliances" as a counter to federal public health recommendations and policies under the Trump Administration. This Policy Watch describes the goals of these alliances, and discusses what effects they may have for U.S. public health policy.
This issue brief provides an update on the latest trends in kindergarten children's routine vaccination and exemption rates. Over three-quarters (39) of states had measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)vaccination rates below the “target” rate of 95% for the 2024-2025 school year.
As federal vaccine policy changes, this poll finds that most adults do not expect to get a COVID-19 vaccine this fall , and many parents are confused and uncertain about whether the vaccine is recommended for healthy children this year. About one in five adults nationally say the changes to vaccine policy are making people safer, while more than a third say they are making people less safe.
This policy watch post examines the United States’ measles elimination status, including what it means to eliminate measles, whether the current measles outbreak could threaten the country’s measles elimination status, and what losing that status might mean for measles control.
This brief describes four key federal vaccine advisory committees and discusses policy issues and questions they currently face. The four committees are the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) at HHS.
This brief provides an overview of the impact of mpox in the U.S. one year after a case of was identified domestically and the federal response to date, and discusses the future outlook.
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