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.

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  • Anti-Vaccine Disinformation Campaign, Sunscreen Myths, and Counterfeit Ozempic on Social Media — The Monitor

    Feature

    This edition focuses on intentionally false or misleading information online and its potential impact on public trust in health care. We share a recent report that exposed a covert U.S. military social media disinformation campaign in the Philippines that may have undermined public confidence in vaccines. We also examine how false claims about sunscreen and non-FDA-approved "miracle cures" may be discouraging people from taking important preventative measures and seeking legitimate medical treatment. Finally, we explore…

  • Raw Milk Myths, Vaccine Falsehoods, and Reproductive Health Narratives – The Monitor

    Feature

    This first edition of the Health Misinformation Monitor explores misinformation about raw milk amid bird flu outbreaks on dairy farms, false vaccine narratives that continue to spread, and legal challenges against abortion pill reversal claims. Additionally, a growing number of states have required public schools to show fetal development videos that some have called biased and inaccurate. This Monitor report also provides a snapshot of new KFF misinformation polling on TikTok and discusses the early…

  • Who is at Risk Amid the H5N1 Influenza Outbreak? Characteristics and Health Coverage of Animal Production Workers

    Issue Brief

    This analysis uses data on “animal production workers” from the 2022 American Community Survey to examine characteristics of workers who may be at risk for exposure to H5N1 avian influenza, which has been found in dairy cattle herds in nine U.S. states as of May 14, 2024. The analysis compares characteristics of these workers to all U.S. workers, to all workers in the H5N1-affected states, and draws out some implications. Among the findings are that…

  • KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: COVID-19 Vaccine Update

    Feature

    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.

  • How Does the Federal Government Monitor Vaccine Safety?

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief gives an overview of the main systems used by the federal government to track vaccine safety and adverse events following vaccinations. The brief reviews the history of federal vaccine safety systems, describes the key systems and their strengths and limitations, and also discusses how vaccine safety issues have become the subject of more scrutiny under the Trump administration.

  • Americans’ Experiences With Gun-Related Violence, Injuries, And Deaths

    Feature

    This survey examines Americans’ experiences with gun-related incidents such as being threatened with a gun, having a family member killed by a gun, or witnessing someone being shot. The survey also explores worries about gun violence, precautions people report taking to protect their families, how gun owners say they store their guns, and discussions about guns with health care providers.

  • How HHS, FDA, and CDC Can Influence U.S. Vaccine Policy

    Policy Watch

    This policy brief highlights areas in which HHS, FDA, and CDC have authority to shape U.S. vaccine policy with a specific focus on vaccine approvals and recommendations for the public. Ultimately, while there are limits, federal officials have significant authority to influence and alter vaccine policy, which could affect vaccine availability, views about vaccines, and vaccine use in the U.S. However, this does not include imposing mandates on or changing local vaccination requirements, as those…

  • KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust: The Public’s Views on Measles Outbreaks and Misinformation

    Feature

    This poll looks at awareness and concern over the outbreak of measles in the U.S. and finds that a growing share of adults is encountering false claims about the measles vaccines, but many are uncertain whether these claims are true or false. Parents who lean toward believing the false claims are less likely to say they keep their children up to date on routine vaccinations.

  • Amid Growing Measles Outbreak, More Americans Are Encountering False Claims About the Measles Vaccine, and Many Aren’t Sure What to Believe

    News Release

    With health officials reporting 800 measles cases in multiple states already this year, most of the public – and most parents – report hearing at least one false claim about measles or the vaccine for it, and many of them aren’t sure what to believe, the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds. The poll gauges whether the public has heard, and whether they believe, three false statements related to measles circulating…