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

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.

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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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  • The Comstock Act: Implications for Abortion Care Nationwide 

    Issue Brief

    This brief provides background on the Comstock Act, reviews how it has been interpreted by the Biden Administration’s DOJ, and considers how it could be enforced by an administration that is hostile toward abortion to severely restrict the distribution of drugs and supplies used for abortion, with implications for abortion access in all states across the country.

  • Legal Challenges to State Abortion Bans Since the Dobbs Decision

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief presents an overview of the legal challenges presented in state courts since the Dobbs ruling in June 2022 and highlights some of the novel strategies that are being used to defend access to abortion in states that have enacted abortion bans.

  • Quote from Laurie Sobel, KFF Associate Director for Women’s Health Policy. It says, “Despite for calls from Republican leaders and anti-abortion organizations for the FDA to act quickly, the Louisiana district court has given the FDA until October 7, 2026, one month before the midterms, to file a report with the status of its review and any updated timeframe for completion. In the meantime, clinicians may continue to mail mifepristone to pregnant patients seeking abortions regardless of where they live.”

    The Latest on Medication Abortion Access: The Court Awaits the FDA Review

    Quick Insights

    Despite for calls from Republican leaders and anti-abortion organizations for the FDA to act quickly, the Louisiana district court has given the FDA until October 7, 2026, one month before the midterms, to file a report with the status of its review and any updated timeframe for completion. In the meantime, clinicians may continue to mail mifepristone to pregnant patients seeking abortions regardless of where they live.

  • Quote from Laurie Sobel, KFF’s Associate Director of Women’s Health Policy. It says, “In addition to ongoing litigation, last September the Trump administration FDA, after requests from anti-abortion organizations and state attorneys general, initiated an internal review of mifepristone’s safety. This adds uncertainty as the agency could revise dispensing rules independently of the courts. With the FDA commissioner’s resignation this week and no permanent leader in place, the timeline for completing the review remains unclear.”

    Supreme Court Leaves Mifepristone Access Unchanged – For Now

    Quick Insights

    In addition to ongoing litigation, last September the Trump administration FDA, after  requests from anti-abortion organizations and state attorneys general, initiated an internal review of mifepristone’s safety.  This adds uncertainty as the agency could revise dispensing rules independently of the courts. With the FDA commissioner’s resignation this week and no permanent leader in place, the timeline for completing the review remains unclear. 

  • Abortions Later in Pregnancy in a Post-Dobbs Era

    Issue Brief

    This brief explains why individuals may seek abortions later in pregnancy, how often these procedures occur, and the various laws which regulate access to abortions later in pregnancy across the country.

  • Abortion Back at SCOTUS: Can States Ban Emergency Abortion Care for Pregnant Patients?

    Issue Brief

    On April 24, 2024, the Supreme Court will hear the second case this term involving access to abortion: Idaho v. United States. At stake in this case is whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, a federal law requiring hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to patients who present to their emergency rooms, preempts state abortion laws and requires hospitals that accept Medicare to provide abortion care when it is necessary to stabilize a…

  • Survey on Public Knowledge and Attitudes on Contraception and Unplanned Pregnancy in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands

    Other Post

    Kaiser Family Foundation Surveys on Public Knowledge and Attitudes on Contraception and Unplanned Pregnancy in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands1995 Unplanned pregnancy is a major problem facing Americans today. Approximately 3.5 million unplanned pregnancies occur each year in the United States. Women in the United States are almost twice as likely as women in Great Britain and three times as likely as women in the Netherlands to face an unplanned pregnancy. Research has…

  • New Report Analyzes Health Insurance Coverage of Contraceptives

    News Release

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation report released today finds how health insurance carriers are interpreting and implementing the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive coverage requirement varies, limiting contraceptive options for some women. The ACA requires most private health insurance plans to cover a range of preventive services for women, including prescribed FDA-approved contraceptives and services without cost sharing. The report reviews how health carriers are applying medical management limitations to contraceptive coverage that affect women’s contraceptive…