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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  • The COVID-19 “Vaccination Line”: An Update on State Prioritization Plans

    Issue Brief

    This analysis examines the different approaches states are taking to manage the limited initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines and balance the desire to vaccinate those at greatest risk first with the need to ensure a fast and effective statewide vaccination effort. It includes a state data table.

  • KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: What Do We Know About Those Who Want to “Wait and See” Before Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine?

    Poll Finding

    Thirty-one percent of the public wants to “wait and see” how the COVID-19 vaccine is working for other people before getting vaccinated themselves. While they share a similar level of vaccine hesitancy, this group is not monolithic in their attitudes and beliefs. This brief examines how people with different partisan identities and those belonging to different racial and ethnic groups differ in their levels of concern about the vaccine and may respond differently to messages…

  • The Red/Blue Divide in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

    Policy Watch

    This post examines a growing COVID-19 vaccine gap in Red and Blue America, with the share of the population that have been fully vaccinated in counties that voted for President Biden in 2020 increasing more rapidly than the share in counties that voted for President Trump.

  • Monkeypox Vaccine Roll-out in the U.S. – Are Jurisdictions Requesting All Their Doses?

    Policy Watch

    This analysis examines monkeypox vaccine allocations and jurisdictional requests. It explores jurisdictional request rate (the number of vaccine does requested as a share of the jurisdiction’s allocation from HHS) for JYNNEOS, the preferred vaccine. Overall, while most jurisdictions have requested at least their full supply, some are well below that mark, raising questions about how quickly their at-risk populations can get protected.

  • Changes to Public Charge Regulations Will Likely Lead More Immigrant Families to Avoid Health Care and Assistance Programs

    Quick Insights

    The proposed rule would likely lead to further declines in use of health care and programs among immigrant families. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests that one of the benefits of the rule would be “a reduction in the number of aliens dependent on public benefit programs” and notes that it will result in reduced federal and state payments for individuals who disenroll or forgo enrollment in programs.

  • Public Reporting of Quality Outcomes: What’s the Best Path Forward?

    Event Date:
    Event

    The Affordable Care Act aims to promote higher quality care in part by rewarding – and eventually requiring – the reporting of certain quality measures. Previous efforts suggest that public reporting can add significant value. Yet there are concerns about the best way to measure outcomes and quality, the possible unintended effects of public reporting, and whether purchasers and consumers actually use the information to make choices. Panelists at this April 27 briefing co-sponsored by…

  • Most Americans Report a Personal Connection to Those Who Have Abused Prescription Painkillers; Whites More Likely To Be Affected Than Blacks or Hispanics

    News Release

    Poll Finds 9% Say a Family Member or Close Friend Died of an Overdose; 27% Say Either They or Someone Close to Them Has Been Addicted On the ACA This Month, 45 Percent View the Law Unfavorably and 38 Percent View It Favorably With prescription painkiller abuse garnering more attention from the media and policymakers, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll finds most Americans have a personal connection to the issue. In total,…