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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.
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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.
As bird flu continues to circulate among animals in the U.S. with some human cases, about six in 10 (58%) people overall have at least “a fair amount” of trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide reliable information about bird flu, though only 21% have a “great deal of trust,” the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds.As the White House withdraws the nomination of Dr. David Weldon to…
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.
Booster update remains modest; half of those already boosted are waiting for updated CDC guidelines to get another dose Nearly four in ten (38%) people say their households were affected by this winter's triple threat of viruses, with someone getting sick with the flu, COVID-19, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and nearly half (46%) say the news of these three viruses spreading has made them more likely to wear masks or take other precautions to…
This survey finds that nearly four-in-ten adults say their households were recently sick with COVID-19, the Flu, or RSV, and news of the viruses is making many more likely to wear masks and take other precautions. It also explores uptake of the new bivalent booster, why many vaccinated adults have not gotten it, and enthusiasm for another shot among those who have.
The 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. Nearly half correctly identified that the number of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. since the outbreak began late last year is closer to 100, and most say they are not too or…
In the midst of a sweeping national health and economic crisis sparked by the novel coronavirus pandemic, a new KFF coronavirus poll finds two thirds of the public (67%) say they are taking precautions as a result, and large shares worry about its impact on their family’s health and finances. This includes four in 10 who changed travel plans (42%) or canceled plans to attend large gatherings (40%), and about a third who stocked up…
This brief describes a range of steps states and the federal government could take to use Medicaid to expand coverage and access to care in the context of responding to COVID-19 as a public health crisis.
Fielded from March 11-15, this KFF Coronavirus poll provides a snapshot of the public’s experience, knowledge and views about the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, during the rapidly unfolding crisis. A majority of Americans say they are taking precautions to protect themselves by the novel coronavirus pandemic but the public worries about the health and economic consequences as the situation evolves in the coming months.
With recent federal actions to curtail vaccine access, many states have announced actions intended to maintain broader access. This issue brief provides a snapshot of this rapidly changing landscape, tracking which states have instituted changes in response to or in anticipation of administration policy changes.
This policy watch examines the impact of federal staff cuts and HHS restructuring on the nation's HIV response.
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