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“...the search for a single top issue through polling questions — whether it’s health costs, or gas prices, or the cost of food — is artificial. People worry about and experience these costs together. There is no top issue, unless that issue is the catchall, ‘cost of living.’” — Drew Altman, KFF Founding President and CEO

Are Health Care Costs THE Top Issue for Voters?

In a new column, Dr. Drew Altman, Founding President and CEO, analyzes the polling on health costs as a voting issue and concludes that there is no one top voting issue. He writes: “I have come to the conclusion that the search for a single top issue through polling questions—whether it’s health costs, or gas prices, or the cost of food—is artificial. People worry about and experience these costs together. There is no top issue, unless that issue is the catchall, “cost of living.”

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  • New State Fact Sheets Highlight Key Data About Mental Health and Substance Use Needs and Capacity

    News Release

    The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn are taking a toll on mental health for many Americans, with large shares of the public saying that related worry and stress is having a negative effect on their mental health. A new KFF analysis and series of state fact sheets examine mental health and substance use disorder needs in the states and capacity to meet residents’ needs prior to the pandemic, which is expected to place additional…

  • Nearly 1 in 10 Health Care Workers Lost Their Job Between February and April, But Health Care Employment Rebounded Slightly in May

    News Release

    A new chart collection explores the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the U.S. health care workforce, and finds that between February and April 2020, nearly 1.5 million health care jobs were lost. While more than 300,000 health services jobs were recovered in May 2020, mainly in dental offices, employment in some health care settings continued to decrease. The rise in health care unemployment follows a sharp decline in utilization and revenue for non-emergency services. Many providers…

  • Hospitals with More Private Insurance Revenue, Larger Operating Margins and Less Uncompensated Care Received More Federal Coronavirus Relief Funding Than Others 

    News Release

    Hospitals that in normal times derive most of their revenue from patients with private insurance received more than twice as much federal coronavirus relief funding per bed than the hospitals that get the smallest share of private insurance money, finds a new KFF analysis of the first $50 billion in relief grants. Institutions representing the top 10 percent of hospitals based on share of private insurance revenue received $44,321 in coronavirus relief per hospital bed,…

  • Distribution of CARES Act Funding Among Hospitals

    Issue Brief

    This brief analyzes the distribution of $50 billion in CARES Act funding for providers and shows that the distribution formula selected by the Department of Health and Human Services favored hospitals with a relatively high share of revenue from private insurance. Hospitals that see a smaller share of patients with private insurance and instead see more patients with Medicare or Medicaid received less funding per hospital bed.

  • Taking Stock of Essential Workers

    Policy Watch

    The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the reality of working life for most of the U.S. workforce, with essential workers at the forefront of performing crucial services for the public in the midst of the pandemic. This post examines who essential workers are and what challenges they are facing in light of coronavirus.

  • COVID-19 Poses a Particular Threat to Low-Wage Workers’ Physical and Financial Health

    News Release

    The nation’s low-wage workers face a particular kind of bind. They tend to work in service industries -- such as the restaurant, hospitality and retail sectors – that are especially at risk for loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic, or in jobs such as health care workers, grocery store workers and delivery drivers, where they may continue to work but face a higher risk of contracting the disease. According to a new KFF analysis,…

  • Update on COVID-19 Funding for Hospitals and Other Providers

    Policy Watch

    This blog is an overview of the outstanding questions related to the $100 billion for hospitals and other providers in the CARES Act and whether there will be meaningful protections for the uninsured and people with private coverage who could face surprise bills.