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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.
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.
Two recent federal actions, including a memo about alleged COVID-19 vaccine deaths and settlements creating a “detransition clinic,” show how official actions can present uncertain or uncommon outcomes as representative and lend credibility to narratives that go beyond what evidence supports.
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.
This poll looks at exposure to and belief in several vaccine myths and finds that people without a trusted health care provider, and those who regularly use social media or AI for health information, are generally more likely than others to belief the false claims. It also analyzes belief across vaccine myths, showing the share of the public that are consistent myth believers, consistent myth deniers, and those who land in the "mixed middle."
This poll finds that about 3 in 10 adults turn to social media for health information and advice at least monthly. Community connection and the need for immediate answers are the top reasons why people are turning to these tools. Slim majorities of those who use social media for health are confident they can tell what is true, and relatively few take steps to check the information they receive.
This Health Policy 101 chapter examines the evolution, governance and delivery of public health in the United States. The chapter includes explanations of key public health frameworks, services, capabilities and characteristics, how the public health system works in state, local and territorial governments, public health funding, workforce, and communication challenges in an era of declining trust and more.
This analysis examines Medicaid work requirements and the implementation of medical frailty exclusions for people with HIV in light of CMS's implementing regulation.
Fielded from March 25-30, this poll tracks how the rapidly unfolding coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic is affecting Americans, including health and economic impacts to date and worries about the future. This poll also examines the implications of the pandemic on the 2020 presidential election, including favorability of the ACA, Medicare-for-all and a public option.
At-home SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests may be a promising avenue to get more people tested in a timely manner. Lessons from at-home sexually transmitted tests can offer important less about limitations related to specimen collection, public health surveillance, and coverage and access.
This analysis provides insight into trends related to cases and deaths in long-term care facilities due to COVID-19. This piece provides state-level data on cumulative cases and deaths in long-term care facilities over time, trends of new LTC cases and deaths per week, and comparisons to national trends in cases and deaths.
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…
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