Coronavirus (COVID-19)

In this JAMA Forum column, KFF’s Larry Levitt examines the growing role of private insurance companies in public programs, including Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care, and the tradeoffs that result.

Use of digital behavioral health services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person visits were limited. This brief examines how different types of mental health apps are used, how federal policies during the pandemic affected the scope of services they could provide, and key issues to watch.

This policy watch provides a short overview of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), describing its history, budget, organizational structure and its major programs and responsibilities.

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to grow in the United States, it threatens efforts to address existing health challenges, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This blog piece explores whether efforts to “end the HIV epidemic” can be sustained while confronting COVID-19, particularly as the very systems and workforce needed to address HIV are being stretched thin to confront the new crisis.

This data note examines rural hospitals’ operating margins in recent years. After seeing higher margins early in the pandemic, likely due to government relief funds, rural hospitals now face renewed challenges, especially in states that have not expanded Medicaid.

This brief reports on community health center patients, services, experiences, and financing in 2023 and analyzes changes from 2019 (pre-pandemic) through 2023 using data from the Uniform Data System (UDS) and the 2022 Health Center Patient Survey.

This policy watch provides an update on the latest trends in children’s routine vaccination and exemption rates and discusses how these trends could be impacted by the administration change.

This analysis examines the latest trends in children’s routine vaccination rates, including the various contributing factors and policies affecting rates. As of the 2022-2023 school year, the share of kindergarten children up to date on their state-required vaccinations has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.

Using a combination of surveys and focus groups, the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor will track the dynamic nature of public reactions as vaccine development unfolds, including vaccine confidence and hesitancy, trusted messengers and messages, as well as the public’s experiences with vaccination as distribution begins.

This issue brief examines the most recent trends in children’s routine vaccinations, including COVID-19, and explores what to watch as children head back to school this year.