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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  • A Conversation with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Meeting Our Public Health Challenges

    Event Date:
    Event

    KFF hosted CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky for a discussion focused on the status of COVID-19, the CDC’s priorities for the future, including the agency’s recent reorganization and other potential reforms, and how CDC is considering the health implications of climate change. Dr. Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, made introductory remarks. Dr. Jen Kates, senior vice president and director of KFF’s work on global health and HIV policy, moderated a discussion with Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr.…

  • Timeline of End Dates for Key Health-Related Flexibilities Provided Through COVID-19 Emergency Declarations, Legislation, and Administrative Actions

    Issue Brief

    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government declared numerous types of emergencies, Congress enacted several pieces of legislation, and various executive actions were taken and waivers issued, which established time-limited flexibilities and provisions designed to protect individuals and the health system during the pandemic. This resource provides a timeline identifying key health-related flexibilities and provisions specified by these various measures, the specific measure that determines their end date, and their end date.

  • What Do We Know About Children and Coronavirus Transmission?

    Issue Brief

    As schools prepare for Fall, this brief examines what's known about children and COVID-19, including the risk the virus poses to children and the risk of children becoming infected and transmitting to others, and the experiences of other countries that reopened classrooms.

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll – September 2020: Top Issues in 2020 Election, The Role of Misinformation, and Views on A Potential Coronavirus Vaccine

    Report

    The poll examines the public's views on the coronavirus pandemic and a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as trust and confidence in public figures and institutions. It also gauges what issues voters are prioritizing in the upcoming presidential election. and finds that Republican and independent voters prioritize the economy, while Democratic voters are more focused on the coronavirus outbreak.

  • The Secret to a Safe Reopening

    Policy Watch

    As countries around the world begin to reopen, those that waited for the right time to ease lockdown restrictions seem to be in better shape than those who reopened despite higher levels of coronavrius transmission and lower public health capacity. In an article for Foreign Affairs, KFF's Jen Kates and Josh Michaud discuss different countries' approaches to reopening after months of lockdown to mitigate the spread of coronavirus."Countries that proceeded cautiously, maintaining lockdowns until their…

  • About 1.5 Million Teachers are at Higher Risk of Serious Illness From COVID-19

    News Release

    As local, state and federal official debate when and how to reopen schools across the nation, a new KFF analysis estimates nearly 1.5 million teachers have health conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness if they were to contract COVID-19. This represents nearly one in four (24%) of all teachers around the country, creating challenges for schools trying to provide in-person classroom education safely for students and teachers alike. While children are…

  • Analysis Compares President Trump and Democratic Nominee Biden on COVID-19

    News Release

    Few issues are likely to matter as much to voters in November’s presidential election as President Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, which have left almost 200,000 Americans dead and prompted job layoffs and furloughs affecting tens of millions of Americans. A new election brief compares President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden on their records, actions and proposals related to the pandemic and its health and economic consequences, including a…

  • What Do We Know About Spending Related to Public Health in the U.S. and Comparable Countries?

    Feature

    A new chart collection examines what we know about public health spending in the U.S. and comparable countries. The chart collection explores high-level trends in spending on public health and prevention in the U.S., and finds that while the U.S. spends more than most comparable countries on preventive care, the share of total U.S. health spending committed to preventive care has declined in recent years, and the U.S. still has a higher rate of preventable…

  • KFF Health Tracking Poll – October 2020: The Future of the ACA and Biden’s Advantage On Health Care

    Report

    The poll examines the public's views on the Supreme Court case to overturn the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Less than a month from the results of the 2020 presidential election, this poll examines the top issues for voters (the economy, the coronavirus pandemic, health care, criminal justice and policing, among others) as well as which candidate, Biden or Trump, they think has the better approach to handle key…

  • Distributing a COVID-19 Vaccine Across the U.S. – A Look at Key Issues

    News Release

    Government officials hope to identify one or more safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines over the next few months as part of a multi-agency effort known as Operation Warp Speed. If and when they succeed, their focus will shift to making sure people across the country can access the vaccine. A new issue brief lays out some of the key challenges with such a massive vaccination effort, which could require hundreds of millions of vaccine doses…