In October 2018, in the run up to the midterm elections, KFF invited a group of journalists with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a week-long fellowship focused on California’s health care landscape and the national implications of the state-level policy work there.…

Drew Altman analyzes the senior health care vote in his Axios column. This group, most likely to vote in the midterms, has more Democrats than Republicans and trusts Democrats more on health. They will give Democrats a real but modest advantage in the election.

Colorado voters most often cite education, health care and housing costs as the top issues for the state’s gubernatorial candidates to discuss ahead of the November elections, finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation/Colorado Health Foundation (KFF/CHF) poll. The poll of more than 1800 residents reveals Coloradans’ views on a wide…

The Kaiser Family Foundation and Colorado Health Foundation conducted a survey of Coloradans examining a wide range of topics leading into the 2018 midterm elections that include voters’ top issues for candidates, residents’ future outlook and priorities for the state, quality of life in Colorado and the affordability of housing, as well as health care concerns over cost, mental health, and substance abuse.

Nearly a year after Hurricane Maria swamped their island, eighty-three percent of the residents of Puerto Rico say the storm affected their lives in major and lasting ways, from months-long power outages to employment losses, damaged or destroyed homes, drinking water shortages and new or worsening health problems, finds a…

Drew Altman compares residents’ views of hurricane-recovery efforts based on five surveys of residents affected by Hurricanes Maria, Harvey and Katrina.

This partnership survey from The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation explores how Puerto Ricans are faring one year after Hurricane Maria struck the U.S. territory. This face-to-face survey of those living in Puerto Rico examines the impact the hurricane had on their lives, including their housing situation, financial status, and mental and physical health. It also covers issues of access to water and electricity and Puerto Ricans’ views of the government’s response to the storm and its recovery. This is the first, and only, comprehensive, island-wide representative survey to assess a broad array of impacts from Hurricane Maria and hear directly from the people of Puerto Rico about what they experienced and what the ongoing needs are.

One in five Americans (22%) say they always or often feel lonely or socially isolated, frequently with serious consequences, finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation/Economist three-country survey examining loneliness and social isolation. Americans who feel lonely or socially isolated often report negative impacts on their mental (58%) and physical (55%) health, their…

To understand more about how people view the issue of loneliness and social isolation, the Kaiser Family Foundation, in partnership with The Economist, conducted a cross-country survey of adults in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The survey included additional interviews with individuals who report always or often feeling lonely, left out, isolated or that they lack companionship to better understand the personal characteristics and life circumstances associated with these feelings, the reported causes of loneliness, and how people are coping. More than a fifth of adults in the United States and the United Kingdom as well as one in ten adults in Japan say they often or always feel lonely, feel that they lack companionship, feel left out, or feel isolated from others, and many of them say their loneliness has had a negative impact on various aspects of their life. About six in ten say there is a specific cause of their loneliness, and they are also more likely to report experiencing negative life events in the past two years, such as a negative change in financial status. Those reporting loneliness in each country report having fewer confidants than others and two-thirds or more say they have just a few or no relatives or friends living nearby who they can rely on for support. Many in the U.S. and U.K. view the increased use of technology as a major reason why people are lonely or socially isolated, whereas fewer people in Japan say the same. But, for those experiencing loneliness or social isolation personally, they are divided as to whether they think social media makes their feelings of loneliness better or worse.

The Kaiser Family Foundation/Episcopal Health Foundation Harvey Anniversary Survey examines the views, experiences, and long-term recovery needs of vulnerable Gulf Coast Texans who were affected by Hurricane Harvey. This survey – a follow-up to a survey conducted by the partners 3 months after the storm – measures residents’ challenges with housing, financial assistance, health care, and mental health, as well as views on priorities and preparedness moving forward. It finds many challenges are especially salient for affected residents who are Black, Hispanic, or have lower incomes, as well as those who experienced major home damage or remain displaced from their homes.