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.
This volume examines recent social media and AI policy changes; conflicting studies on COVID-19 vaccines and cancer; ACOG guidance on contraceptive misinformation; an alternative to the CDC’s MMWR; the Texas AG’s Tylenol lawsuit; and findings from a recent KFF Tracking Poll on trust in health care apps and websites that use AI.
This volume shares findings from the KFF/The Washington Post Survey of Parents about exposure to and trust in children’s health content on social media, along with misleading claims following the approval of a generic version of mifepristone, reports of autism possibly being added to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, and patients using AI chatbots to interpret lab results.
These findings from a KFF/Washington Post survey reveal how parents encounter information related to children's health on social media, including trust in content they see online and whether they have specific, trusted influencers when it comes to information about children's health.
Efforts to correct misinformation can unintentionally amplify it by increasing engagement, repetition, and visibility. During times of low trust, even debunked claims can erode confidence in health institutions. Communicators can limit amplification by focusing on verified facts, using prebunking and strategic debunking, and strengthening trust with credible messengers.
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.
In a new “Beyond the Data” column, KFF’s President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman analyzes years of KFF polling on vaccines in light of the current controversies about them. The real problem, he says, is not lack of public confidence in the safety of vaccines — few say they are unsafe — it’s that polarization and misinformation have eroded confidence in what’s true or not, and in scientific institutions people used to rely on for the facts.
This volume analyzes findings from the latest KFF Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust, which show that just over half of adults say they use social media to find health information and advice, but less than half trust the health content they see across an array of social media sites and apps. It also examines false claims linking a mercury-based vaccine preservative to autism, following a federal decision to withdraw recommendations for flu vaccines containing the compound. In addition, it explores misleading narratives about antidepressant use during pregnancy and unproven claims about the health benefits of nicotine.
In his latest Beyond the Data column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman looks at the role of influencers as distributers of health information based on new KFF data.
KFF's Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds that just over half of adults use social media for health information and advice at least occasionally but fewer than half say they find “most” or “some” of the information they see on each platform trustworthy.
KFF's Health Tracking Poll looks at awareness and perceived impact of the tax and budget law signed by Trump in July 2025. Nearly half of the public says that they expect the new law to generally hurt them and their families, about twice the share who say it will generally help. The law itself remains largely unpopular, with many more people holding unfavorable views than favorable ones.
© 2025 KFF