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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  • Microbicides: So, What Are They? And Why Should You Care?

    Other Post

    Some think they could be the biggest news for women since the pill. What are they? Microbicides. Scientists around the world are working to develop gels, creams, and other products that destroy or disable the viruses and bacteria that cause HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). While microbicides are not yet available, some public health experts believe they could hold promise as a method of prevention that women could initiate themselves. So, what, if…

  • Sex Education in the U.S.: Policy and Politics

    Other Post

    This issue brief examines the federal, state, and local policies that guide approaches to sex education today. It also examines recent research into community-level experiences and practices, as well as emerging evidence about the effectiveness of different types of sex education curricula. Issue Update:

  • 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.

  • Improving the Use of Contraceptives: The Challenge Continues

    Report

    Researchers, clinicians, and policymakers examine the challenge of improving contraceptive use in the United States through a look at patient-provider relationships, currently available methods of contraception, the needs of special populations, and promising intervention and communication strategies. This article was part of those published as a special supplement to Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 88,September 1996, Number 3 (Supplement). Report: Obstetrics & Gynecology.

  • An Update on Coverage for Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act

    News Release

    An updated fact sheet from the Kaiser Family Foundation summarizes the latest information on health plan coverage of preventive services under the Affordable Care Act. The fact sheet details the rules that govern when plans are required to cover services without cost-sharing and which services are covered. In addition, the fact sheet summarizes the clarifications issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on coverage for a number of services including: colon cancer…

  • Abortion Coverage in the ACA Marketplace Plans: The Impact of Proposed Rules for Consumers, Insurers and Regulators

    Issue Brief

    On November 7, 2018, a day after the 2018 midterm elections, the Trump Administration issued a proposed regulation to address “Exchange Program Integrity.” A major element of this proposed rule would affect insurers, consumers, and state insurance regulators in the states that either allow or require abortion coverage. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to ban plans from offering abortion as a benefit on their Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) and requires plans that cover…

  • The Biden Administration’s Final Rule on Section 1557 Non-Discrimination Regulations Under the ACA

    Issue Brief

    This brief overviews the Biden Administration’s 2024 final rule implementing Section 1557 of the ACA, which is home to the law’s major nondiscrimination provisions. It provides a brief background on 1557 rulemaking and identifies key differences between this rule and the 2020 rule from the Trump Administration. It highlights two areas of growing interest impacted by the rule – nondiscrimination protections related to pregnancy and nondiscrimination protections for transgender people. Table 2 summarizes the major…

  • KFF Examines New Rule Giving LGBTQ+ People More Protections Against Discrimination in Health Care

    News Release

    A long-awaited new rule recently finalized by the Biden Administration gives LGBTQ+ people more protections against discrimination when seeking health care and coverage from a range of programs and organizations, including Medicaid, Medicare, Health Insurance Marketplaces, many health insurance plans, and most hospitals and providers. The rule has been subject to a wave of litigation across the Obama, Trump, and Biden Administrations and the Biden Administration's new rule reinstates protections eliminated by the Trump Administration.…

  • KFF Survey of Women Voters Dashboard

    Feature

    The KFF Survey of Women Voters examines differing motivations, attitudes, and experiences among women by race and ethnicity, age, and partisanship heading into the 2024 election nationally and in two battleground states, Arizona and Michigan.