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.
Governors, presidential candidates, and others have asked for military assistance for domestic coronavirus response, and President Trump has stated he is working with states and the Department of Defense to have the military provide additional resources and assets. This brief answers key questions about potential U.S. military engagement in the domestic response to the coronavirus.
Our latest partnership survey with The Washington Post examines the public’s views, awareness, and preferences related to climate change. The poll assesses the public’s belief in whether human activity is causing climate change and global warming, as well as levels of concern and support for policy solutions. A companion survey of U.S. teens explores how this age group views the issue of climate change and its potential impact on their generation.
A new KFF/Washington Post survey probes in depth what Americans know and think about climate change, their personal involvement with the issue, and their willingness to accept trade-offs to reduce its impact. A parallel survey of teens ages 13-17 explores how they view the potential effects of climate change on their generation. The poll finds that a large majority of adults and teens believe that human activity is causing changes to the world’s climate. About…
This brief provides an explanation of Title 42 and its application in border regions, the impact of Title 42 on border expulsions and the health and well-being of migrants during COVID-19, and a discussion of the potential implications of reinvoking Title 42 restrictions for immigration and the health of migrants.
A new KFF analysis finds that firearms are involved in the majority of all homicides and suicides in the U.S., playing a role in 79% of homicides and 55% of suicide deaths in 2022, the most recent data available.The analysis, based on data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also shows that firearm deaths increased sharply over the decade, from 33,563 deaths in 2012 to 48,204 deaths in 2022. Looked at another…
As the 113th Congress is sworn in, and President Barack Obama begins his second term of office, a comprehensive new Kaiser Family Foundation/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health survey queried the public about their priorities for, and views on, a wide range of health and health policy issues. These include issues that will preoccupy federal lawmakers, such as the role of Medicare in the deficit reduction debate, as well as issues currently being…
Those Following Measles Story More Likely To Say They Worry About the DiseaseThe public paid more attention to news coverage of the measles outbreak in the U.S. and the resulting debate on whether vaccinations should be required for all kids than any other news story included in this month's Kaiser Health Policy News Index. A total of 70 percent of Americans say they closely followed the measles story, more than say the same about the…
This data note reviews trends in homelessness and characteristics of people who are homeless using data from HUD’s Point-in-Time (PIT) count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness.
Much of the public has yet to form an opinion on the U.S. government’s response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this poll finds. Four in ten adults say the U.S. is less prepared for a pandemic now than it was in 2020.
This issue brief analyzes how the new CDC Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) workforce funding has been distributed across health departments in the U.S., and also jurisdictional plans for public health workforce hiring using funds from PHIG.
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