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 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.

An Update on Medicaid, Title X and Planned Parenthood

This brief provides an update on Planned Parenthood clinic closures and participation in the Title X program amid substantial policy changes resulting in funding reductions. These changes include the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the withholding of federal Title X funding to Planned Parenthood clinics.

SELECTED RESOURCES

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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  • Link to the Women’s Research and Education Institute

    Other Post

    Baby Boom to Generation X: Progress in Young Women's Health Baby Boom to Generation X: Progress in Young Women's Health, by Alina Salganicoff, Barbara Wentworth, and Liberty Greene of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a chapter from The American Woman 2003-2004, Daughters of a Revolution--Young Women Today, Cynthia Costello, Vanessa Wight, and Anne J. Stone, editors. The chapter explores the changes that have taken place in young women's health over the past twenty-five years. It discusses…

  • Survey on Women’s Health in the U.S.

    Report

    New Survey on Women's Health in the U.S. A new national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds most women report generally positive experiences with the health care system, but a sizable share faced problems. A significant minority of nonelderly women reported delaying or going without care in the past year or not filling a prescription due to costs. Women are more likely than men both to face these problems and express concerns about the…

  • Emergency Contraception: From Prescription to Over-the-Counter

    Other Post

    This issue update provides information on the process of making emergency contraception available without a prescription. It includes sections on how a drug becomes availible without a prescription;, the over-the counter-debate; implications for cost and use; and safety and efficacy. Issue Update

  • Promoting Access to Prenatal Care: Lessons from the California Experience (Issue Brief)

    Issue Brief

    Improving access to prenatal care has been a public policy priority in the United States for the past 15 years. This issue brief, prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Paula Braveman, M.D. of the University of California, San Francisco and others, examines the impact of the Medicaid pregnancy-related expansions and reforms in California during the late 1980s and 1990s on the use of prenatal care.

  • Emergency Contraception Resources

    Other Post

    Fact Sheet The fact sheet below includes information on EC methods, safety and side effects, and access issues. The fact sheet also provides information women's knowledge and use as well as health care provider attitudes and practices. Emergency Contraception Fact Sheet Survey The survey snapshot and toplines/survey below from the Kaiser Family Foundation's 2001 National Survey of Women's Health Care Providers on Reproductive Health is a national random-sample survey of 790 physicians, including 595 obstetrician…

  • Women’s Health Policy: Are the Times Really A-Changing? – Editorial

    Other Post

    Women's Health Policy: Are the Times Really A-Changing? - Editorial This editorial describes the current state of key women's health policy issues, including reproductive health, long-term care, and Medicaid, and assesses how policymakers might address these issues in the future. The piece was written by Kaiser Vice President and Director of Women's Health Policy, Alina Salganicoff, and was published in the journal Women's Health Issues. Editorial (.pdf)

  • Promoting Access to Prenatal Care: Lessons from the California Experience (Report)

    Report

    Improving access to prenatal care has been a public policy priority in the United States for the past 15 years. This report, prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Paula Braveman, M.D. of the University of California, San Francisco and others, examines the impact of the Medicaid pregnancy-related expansions and reforms in California on the use of prenatal care during the late 1980s and 1990s.

  • New KFF National Survey of OBGYNs Finds Dobbs Decision Has Made It Harder to Treat Miscarriages and Other Pregnancy-Related Emergencies in Affected States; In States with Bans, Half Report Patients Who Were Unable to Obtain an Abortion They Sought

    News Release

    A new KFF survey of office-based OBGYNs finds widespread effects on their practices and patients since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization one year ago.  In states with abortion bans, half say that they have patients who have been unable to obtain an abortion, about four in ten say that they have faced constraints on their care for miscarriages and pregnancy-related emergencies, and six in ten (61%) express concerns about…

  • Health Care Issues in the Early Stages of the 2024 Election

    Perspective

    In this JAMA Health Forum column, Larry Levitt examines differences in the Republican presidential candidates’ records and positions on health issues, including Medicaid and abortion, that could play a role in the primaries and would set up a sharp contrast in the general election against President Biden.