Public Health


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.

View the Chapter →


Filter

151-160 of 295 results

  • Curbing The Ebola Outbreak: Are We on the Right Track?

    Event Date:
    Event

    The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a public health emergency due to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, which has accounted for over 13,000 reported cases and 4,800 deaths. Some imported and locally acquired cases in health care workers have also been reported in the United States. As a result, concerns about the further escalation of this epidemic and how to best prepare for and contain this deadly disease exist in both the…

  • What Testing Capacity Do We Need?

    Policy Watch

    This post looks at potential benchmarks for estimating the number of coronavirus tests needed in the United States and compares them to current national, and state level, testing levels.

  • Poll: 8 in 10 Americans Favor Strict Shelter-in-Place Orders To Limit Coronavirus’ Spread, and Most Say They Could Continue to Obey Such Orders for Another Month or Longer

    News Release

    With President Trump and some Republican governors pushing to restart the nation’s economy, most of the public (80%) supports strict shelter-in-place policies to limit the coronavirus’ spread compared to just one in five (19%) who say these measures pose unnecessary burdens and cause more harm than good, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. Majorities of Republicans (61%), independents (84%) and Democrats (94%) support the shelter-in-place orders, though four in ten Republicans (38%) say such…

  • Key Questions About the New Medicaid Eligibility Pathway for Uninsured Coronavirus Testing

    Issue Brief

    In response to the need to increase access to testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, recent federal legislation, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, amended by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, creates a new optional Medicaid eligibility pathway, with 100% federal matching funds, for states to cover coronavirus testing and testing-related services for uninsured individuals. This new option is available from March 18, 2020 through the end of the public health emergency period.…

  • COVID-19 Quiz

    Feature

    This 10-question quiz tests your knowledge about the coronavirus and COVID-19, including issues around symptoms, testing, number of cases and deaths, and cost sharing for treatment.

  • Poll: About Half of Public Supports a Ban on Both Flavored and All E-Cigarettes, Though Most Young Adults Are Opposed 

    News Release

    With more than 1,000 lung injuries and two dozen deaths nationally associated with vaping and e-cigarettes, a new KFF poll finds a narrow majority (52%) of the public supports a ban on the sale of fruit- and other flavored e-cigarettes, while 44% oppose it. When asked whether all e-cigarettes should be banned, including those that aren’t flavored, the public is almost evenly divided, with 49% favoring such a step and 47% opposing it. Majorities of…

  • Poll Examines the Impact of Coronavirus on Life in America

    Policy Watch

    With coronavirus cases rising and businesses shutting down, four in 10 (39%) U.S. residents say they already have lost a job or income due to the crisis, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. This includes most part-time workers (54%), as well as nearly half of parents with children under age 18 (47%) and those paid hourly or by the job (45%). A large majority (82%) also report that they are sheltering-in-place and not leaving…

  • Partying Spring Breakers Don’t Represent Most of America’s Young Adults

    Policy Watch

    While news stories accurately depict the actions of some young people on spring break, our latest national poll show they are not representative of young adults more broadly who largely say they are engaging in social distancing practices in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • U.S. Virgin Islands: Fast Facts

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet presents demographic, economic, and health indicators of the U.S. Virgin Islands and briefly discusses some of the territory's short and long-term challenges facing the territory after Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the island in September 2017.

  • What Does the Public Know and Think About Zika?

    Feature

    This slideshow provides an aggregated summary of Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest poll findings on the Zika virus. Results include how much Americans know about the virus, how worried they are about it, and what role they believe the government should be playing to fight its spread.