Women's Health Policy

ABORTION IN THE U.S.

Variability in Rebimbursement Rates for State-funded Abortion Services for Medicaid Enrollees: A 2026 Update

This analysis reveals that while more states have begun using their own funds to cover abortion services for Medicaid enrollees since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, only a handful have significantly increased reimbursement rates for providers, potentially undermining access to care for low-income patients. After examining physician fee schedules for abortions provided to Medicaid enrollees since 2024, KFF finds that reimbursement rates vary dramatically across states, and that most states don't substantially increase payment rates for later-pregnancy procedures, despite their higher costs and complexity.

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.

Stay informed.

Stay informed.

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341 - 350 of 876 Results

  • Maternity Care and Consumer Driven Health Plans

    Event Date:
    Event

    Maternity Care and Consumer-Driven Health Plans With maternity care representing one of the most common and costly medical interventions that women experience, Kaiser and the March of Dimes co-hosted a forum to release new studies that analyze the costs of maternity care and assess coverage under consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs). Kaiser released a new study that compares the out-of-pocket costs of maternity care under CDHPs and traditional health insurance plans. The March of Dimes released…

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

    Poll Finding

    The three separate random-sample telephone surveys of adults ages 18 and older living in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands, designed by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in association with Louis Harris and Associates, Inc and conducted in 1995. The surveys were conducted to assess differences in public knowledge, opinions, and practices related to pregnancy and birth control, hoping to help explain some of the variation in unplanned pregnancy rates between the U.S.…

  • Gender Differences in Health Care, Status, and Use: Spotlight on Men’s Health

    Fact Sheet

    This slideshow presents findings from the 2013 Kaiser Men's and Women's Health Survey on men's health care, access and coverage, and draws comparisons to women's health care. The slideshow also presents findings for low-income and uninsured men, including financial barriers to care, frequency of clinician visits, use of prescription drugs, and the likelihood of getting counseling and screenings, such as HIV tests.

  • Infographic: How Does Where You Work Affect Your Contraceptive Coverage?

    News Release

    The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that most private health insurance plans provide contraceptive coverage has been the focus of ongoing litigation in the federal courts. In response to recent Supreme Court actions in the Hobby Lobby and College of Wheaton cases, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued an interim final rule and a proposed rule on August 22, 2014 addressing how some employers with religious objections to birth control can comply with…

  • Federal and State Standards for “Essential Community Providers” under the ACA and Implications for Women’s Health

    Issue Brief

    Safety net providers such as community health centers and family planning clinics have served a significant role in the provision of primary care and reproductive health care services to low-income and uninsured people, particularly women. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has a provision aimed at assuring that newly-insured individuals, as well as those without coverage, can continue seeing their trusted safety net providers, also called Essential Community Providers (ECPs). This brief reviews the definition of…

  • The HPV Test: Coming Soon to a Doctor’s Office Near You?  Is It Better than the Pap Smear for Detecting Cervical Cancer?

    Report

    The HPV Test: Coming Soon to a Doctor's Office Near You? Is It Better than the Pap Smear for Detecting Cervical Cancer? The most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. is one most Americans have never heard of: the human papillomavirus or HPV, the cause of almost all cervical cancer. Now that leading medical journals report that high-risk strains of HPV can be detected, there is debate over the best approach to fighting cervical…

  • Medicare’s Role for Women

    Fact Sheet

    Medicare’s Role for Women This fact sheet highlights Medicare’s important role in providing women with health care coverage. It examines the demographic profile of women on Medicare, including their health and income status, the program’s benefits and cost-sharing requirements, and the prevalence of supplemental coverage to fill gaps in Medicare’s coverage. Fact Sheet (.pdf)

  • Kaiser Family Foundation/ Self National Survey on Women’s Health Policy Priorities & Election 2000, Summary of Findings and Questionnaire

    Report

    The Kaiser Family Foundation and Self magazine have partnered on a nationally representative survey of more than 1000 Americans, ages 18 and older, to examine how women (and men) rate the importance of health policy issues from abortion to HIV/AIDS to Medicare in the upcoming election. Highlights from the survey include Americans views about politicians health care promises as well as which candidate Americans trust with the health care issues that are most important to…

  • Teen Pregnancy: Key Statistics

    Other Post

    The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation How widespread is teen pregnancy in the U.S.? More than four in 10 young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 - nearly one million a year. Are more teens getting pregnant today than two or three decades ago? The pregnancy rate among all teen girls aged 15-19 rose 23 percent between 1972 and 1990, and then fell slightly in 1992. This increase…