Women's Health Policy

ABORTION IN THE U.S.

KFF infographic explaining who regulates mifepristone, showing four entities and their roles: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves and regulates medications for safety and effectiveness; state legislatures pass laws that can restrict or protect access; courts rule on legal cases affecting regulation; and Congress can pass federal legislation influencing regulation.

Louisiana v. FDA: Access to Mifepristone Back at the Supreme Court

Louisiana sued the FDA in October 2025, claiming the FDA’s 2023 regulatory change eliminating the requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in-person—allowing it to be mailed or dispensed at retail pharmacies—harm the state's ability to enforce its abortion ban. This brief reviews the Louisiana v. FDA case now before the Supreme Court, and provides an overview of the other pending litigation involving mifepristone, as well as the mounting tension between states seeking to protect abortion and those banning the provision of abortion.

CONTRACEPTIve care IN THE U.S.

New and noteworthy

Over-the-Counter Oral Contraceptive Pills

In July 2023, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily oral contraceptive pill to become available over the counter (OTC) without a doctor’s prescription. This issue brief provides an overview of OTC oral contraceptives and laws and policies related to insurance coverage.

featured

A promotional image for the the KFF Health Policy 101 Issues in Women’s Health chapter

Health Policy Issues in Women’s Health

Examine the core health coverage and access issues —shaped by federal and state policies—that affect women’s health today, including health coverage and costs, reproductive health services, maternal health, mental health, and intimate partner violence.

State Profiles for Women’s Health

Explore the latest national and state-specific data and policies on women’s health. Topics include health status, insurance and Medicaid coverage, use of preventive services, sexual health, maternal and infant health, and abortion policies. Many indicators provide state-level information for women of different racial and ethnic groups.

The essentials
  • Women’s Health Insurance Coverage

    This factsheet reviews major sources of coverage for women residing in the U.S., discusses the ACA's impact on coverage, and the coverage challenges that many women continue to face.
  • Medicaid Coverage for Women

    This data note presents key data points describing the current state of the Medicaid program as it affects women, including eligibility, reproductive health, chronic conditions, and more.
  • Dobbs: What are the Implications for Racial Disparities?

    This analysis examines the implications of the Dobbs decision and state restrictions on abortion coverage for racial disparities in access to care and health outcomes.
  • State Health Facts: Women's Health Indicators

    Information on women’s health status, utilization of services, health insurance coverage, family planning and childbirth, and abortion statistics and policies.
  • Key Facts on Abortion in the United States

    This report answers some key questions about abortion in the United States and presents data collected before the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

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  • Is There Room for Conscience without Compromising Access? Are Affiliations Between Religious and Secular Health Care Organizations Threatening Access?

    Fact Sheet

    These resources were prepared for a briefing held for journalists in New York City on November 4, 1997 in New York City as part of a joint program by The Alan Guttmacher Institute, The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Press Foundation. This program focused on mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, joint ventures, and other affiliations between Catholic and non-Catholic hospitals and health systems and the effect these affiliations have on access to reproductive health services.

  • National Survey on Public Perceptions about Contraception

    Poll Finding

    A national random-sample telephone survey conducted between January 19-21, 1996 on Americans perceptions of the risks and benefits associated with oral contraceptives, or The Pill. The survey finds that many American men and women have at least some concerns about the safety of oral contraceptives. These findings were presented at a briefing in New York on January 31, 1996, co-sponsored by Kaiser Family Foundation, the National Press Foundation and The Alan Guttmacher Institute. TOPLINE Download…

  • Women’s Health Insurance Coverage

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet reviews major sources of coverage for women residing in the U.S. in 2023, discusses the impact of the Affordable Care Act on women’s coverage, and the coverage challenges that many women continue to face.

  • Talking about STDs with Health Professionals: Women’s Experiences – Report

    Report

    Talking About STDs with Health Professionals Women's Experiences More than 12 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) other than HIV/AIDS, including three million among teenagers alone, occur every year. At current rates, at least one person in four will contract an STD at some point in his or her life. With as many as 56 million individuals - more than one in five Americans - estimated to be currently infected with an incurable…

  • Medicaid Programs in the South and Southwest Cover a Higher Share of Births

    Feature

    Medicaid Programs in the South and Southwest Cover a Higher Share of Births Download Source Sonfield, A., Kost, K., Benson Gold, R., & Finer, L.B. (2011). The public cost of births resulting from unintended pregnancies: National and state-level estimates. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 43(2): 94-102

  • Medicaid Enrollment Among Women Varies Between States

    Feature

    Medicaid Enrollment Among Women Varies Between States Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of Urban Institute estimates based on March 2012 Current Population Survey, Census Bureau

  • National Survey Of Obstetricians/Gynecologists On Contraception And Unplanned Pregnancy: Attitudes And Practices With Regard To Abortion

    Poll Finding

    National Survey Of Obstetricians/Gynecologists On Contraception And Unplanned Pregnancy: Attitudes And Practices With Regard To Abortion The survey findings show only one third of obstetricians/gynecologists practicing today perform abortions. Younger doctors, doctors in multi-specialty group practices, and doctors practicing in the South and Midwest are among those least likely to perform abortions. The survey also finds that many of the physicians who do not perform abortions say they would, however, offer Mifepristone, if approved by…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — May 2012

    Feature

    The May Health Tracking Poll focuses on the public's perceptions and reactions to women's reproductive health reemerging as a heated issue in policy debates and news and its potential impact on the upcoming presidential election. Three in ten women (31 percent) overall believe that there is currently a "wide-scale effort to limit women's reproductive health choices and services, such as abortion, family planning, and contraception" in the U.S. A larger share (45 percent) say there…