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.
States have begun to form "health alliances" as a counter to federal public health recommendations and policies under the Trump Administration. This Policy Watch describes the goals of these alliances, and discusses what effects they may have for U.S. public health policy.
A comprehensive timeline of public health policy actions by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration from 2025-2026, with key dates, descriptions, and impacts.
This issue brief provides an update on the latest trends in kindergarten children's routine vaccination and exemption rates. Over three-quarters (39) of states had measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)vaccination rates below the “target” rate of 95% for the 2024-2025 school year.
This analysis examines the share of noncitizen and citizen adults currently living in the U.S. who have one of the health conditions identified in new State Department guidance for visa screening.
This volume shares updates from the most recent CDC advisory panel meeting, changes to the CDC webpage on autism and vaccines, and polling on trust in news organizations. Additionally, it shares recent developments in AI and social media policy and new KFF poll findings about perceptions of mifepristone’s safety and prevalence.
On February 15, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted an event featuring a PBS documentary with former Washington Post correspondent T.R. Reid – U.S. Health Care: The Good News – which explores efforts to provide low-cost, quality health care in the U.S. The film looks at variations in health spending across the country and showcases efficient health care delivery systems, like Grand Junction in Colorado and Group Health in Seattle, suggesting that these communities demonstrate that…
People with medical conditions that put them at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness are next in line to get vaccinated in many states, though states are making very different choices about how to prioritize those within this large group, finds a KFF analysis of state policies. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are 81 million adults nationwide with conditions that it identifies as posing an increased risk…
The latest report from the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and finds that larger shares of LGBT adults report economic losses and mental health struggles than their non-LGBT counterparts. Based on data gathered on self-identified LGBT and non-LGBT individuals over two months, some of the key differences include: Economic impact. Most LGBT adults say that they or a household…
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…
Amid sweeping cuts to federal government health agencies by the Trump Administration, much of the public opposes cuts to funding and staffing, including some Republicans. Support of many of these cuts is largely partisan, however, there is agreement across parties when it comes to opposing cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
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