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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  • 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…

  • Women’s Connections to the Healthcare Delivery System: 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 health status, relationships to regular providers and sites of care, and the frequency at which they receive routine preventive care. 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 presents some findings compared…

  • 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.

  • Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: Key Findings from the 2017 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents survey findings from the 2017 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey, a nationally representative survey of women conducted in the summer and fall of 2017, on coverage and use of sexual health services among women ages 18 to 44 years old. The data presented is from the newest 2017 survey, but some findings presented in this brief include trends from earlier surveys that the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted in 2004, 2008, and 2013.

  • Analysis: Insurance Riders to Cover Abortion Services Not Available to Women in States That Restrict Abortion Coverage

    News Release

    In 10 states, insurance plans are currently banned from including abortion as a covered service in state-regulated private plans -- all individually purchased policies and fully-insured group plans. Most of these laws do not include exceptions for rape, incest, or health endangerment. In nine of these states, insurers may sell health insurance riders for abortion coverage, but the availability of such riders has been unknown. A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of the insurance plans offered in…

  • Five Ways the Graham-Cassidy Proposal Would Affect Women

    Fact Sheet

    The Graham-Cassidy Senate proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that could have a far-reaching impact on women's health care access and coverage. A new fact sheet outlines the ways women could be affected.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – June 2017: Women’s Health

    Feature

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employers to cover the full cost of prescription birth control as part of their health insurance plans. The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that a majority of the public support the requirement for private health insurance plans to cover the full cost of birth control. This includes a majority of Democrats, independents, and Republicans.