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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461 - 470 of 874 Results

  • 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…

  • Women’s Coverage, Access, and Affordability: Key Findings from the 2017 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents findings from the 2017 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey, a nationally representative survey of women ages 18 to 64 on their coverage, use, and access to health care services. The Kaiser Family Foundation has conducted surveys on women’s health care in 2001, 2004, 2008, and 2013. This brief focuses on findings from the newest 2017 survey and also presents some findings compared to earlier years.

  • Overview: 2017 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey

    Issue Brief

    The Kaiser Family Foundation has conducted the Kaiser Women’s Health Survey approximately every four years since 2001 to provide a look into the range of women’s health care experiences, especially those that are not typically addressed by most surveys. The findings presented in this report examine women’s coverage, access, and affordability of care, their connections to the health care delivery system and use of preventive care, use of reproductive health services, and responsibilities caring for…

  • Abortion Coverage, Private Insurance Plans, and the American Health Care Act

    News Release

    The American Health Care Act passed by House Republicans in May would go further than existing law to restrict the availability of abortion coverage through private insurance policies. It would ban abortion coverage in all marketplace plans as well as prohibit the use of federal tax credits to purchase any plans that cover abortion that are available outside the marketplace. This policy could block the ability of California and New York residents to use federal…

  • Financing Family Planning Services: The Impact of Reducing or Eliminating Funding

    News Release

    The American Health Care Act recently passed by the House of Representatives includes a provision to ban federal Medicaid funding of Planned Parenthood. The Trump administration has also proposed reducing funding to HHS, which funds the Title X family planning program and community health centers. A new brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation assesses the role of these programs in providing family planning care services to low-income women as well as the potential impact of…

  • Summary of HHS’s Final Rule on Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities

    Issue Brief

    On May 18, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination in health coverage and care based on race, color, national origin, age or disability, and, for the first time sex. This Issue Brief provides a technical summary of Section 1557 and the final rule and highlights new protections and provisions included in the law and rule.…

  • Health and the 2016 Election: Implications for Women

    Perspective

    The leading US presidential candidates and their parties’ platforms offer distinct and often opposing policy proposals on issues that affect women’s health. In the Women’s Health Issues journal, the Kaiser Family Foundation's Caroline Rosenzweig, Usha Ranji, and Alina Salganicoff present their analysis of the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties on range of women’s health policy issues – including the Affordable Care Act, reproductive health, older women’s health, and violence prevention.

  • New Brief Examines the Future of Contraceptive Coverage

    News Release

    The Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage provision made access to the full range of contraceptive methods available to millions of women with private insurance at no cost.  Despite broad public support, this provision has been challenged by religious employers, with two cases reaching the Supreme Court. It is unclear how or whether the new Trump administration and 115th Congress will address the contraceptive coverage requirement, either through administrative action or through efforts to repeal the…

  • Data Note: Differences In Public Opinion On The ACA’s Contraceptive Coverage Requirement, By Gender, Religion, And Political Party

    Feature

    One of the most politically polarizing elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the law’s requirement that new private health insurance plans cover prescription contraceptives and services, including all methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The rule currently provides an exemption for houses of worship and an “accommodation” for religiously affiliated non-profit employers who object to providing contraceptive coverage; however all for-profit employers that provide health insurance must include this benefit. Over…