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.
This Issue Brief reviews the federal role in setting U.S. water fluoridation policies, discusses current federal recommendations for water fluoridation, and summarizes the extent of water fluoridation across U.S. states.
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 authorities rest with state and local governments.
As bird flu continues to circulate among animals in the
As bird flu continues to spread among animals in the U.S., KFF's Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds that the public is more concerned about its impact on food prices than potential health impacts. Trust in the CDC to provide information on bird flu is also divided along partisan lines, and a large share of the public is uncertain about public health agencies' recommendations for preventing infection.
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 animal production workers are more likely than workers overall to be Hispanic and noncitizen immigrants, as well as to be uninsured.
This analysis examines monkeypox (MPX) cases and vaccinations by race/ethnicity based on national data obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We find that while the current MPX outbreak in U.S. appears to be slowing down, disparities persist among Black and Hispanic people.
Rates of self-reported long COVID are one-quarter to one-third higher among adults who are female, transgender, Hispanic, and without a high-school degree than among all adults, according to federal survey data. In this policy watch, we consider whether long COVID could exacerbate existing disparities in health and employment.
According to a new KFF analysis assessing monkeypox (MPX) vaccine eligibility across the United States, people who are exposed or presumed exposed to MPX are generally eligible to get a vaccine across the country. However, eligibility varies across the United States for certain workers, including laboratory staff and others who might be at increased risk.
This analysis examines jurisdictional approaches to eligibility for monkeypox (MPX) vaccine. Overall, almost all jurisdictions have, at minimum, adopted the current approach laid out by the CDC. However, there is substantial variation in how eligibility is defined. Additionally, several jurisdictions lack clear criteria or information on who is eligible or where to get vaccinated. This may impact on who gets vaccinated, lead to geographic disparities, and raises potentially equity challenges.
Long COVID has been described as our “next national health disaster” and the “pandemic after the pandemic,” but we know little about how many people are affected, how long it will last for those affected, and how it could change employment and health coverage landscapes. This policy watch reviews what we know and outlines key questions to watch for regarding employment and coverage outcomes. We continue to follow the research on who is most at risk of long COVID and whether there are interventions that can reduce its incidence, length, or severity.
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