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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  • Two Women’s Health Policy Issues to Monitor in 2021

    News Release

    With President-elect Joe Biden and a new Congress taking office next month, newly updated KFF briefs examine two women’s health policy issues awaiting federal policymakers in 2021. President-elect Biden campaigned on reversing the Trump Administration’s regulations for the Title X family planning program, which require complete financial and physical separation from abortion services, including referrals, for family planning providers funded by the program. The Current Status of the Title X Network and the Path Forward…

  • New Survey: Women’s Health Coverage at All Time High; Affordability & Access Challenges Remain

    News Release

    A new nationally-representative survey of women from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that coverage rates for women are at all-time highs and use of preventive services is on the rise, but many women still face a wide range of affordability and other access challenges. Conducted in the summer and fall of 2017, the survey provides a national overview of women’s health care coverage, access, affordability, and experiences among nonelderly women (ages 18 to 64) in the U.S. Highlights…

  • New Survey Examines the Provision of Family Planning Services by Community Health Centers

    News Release

    A new national survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and George Washington University finds few of the nation’s community health centers report they can handle a significant increase in patients. Less than one in five clinics report that they could increase their patient caseload by 25 percent or more in the next year. This finding suggests that community health centers may be challenged to fill the void if Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest network of freestanding family…

  • Abortion Coverage in the Premium Relief Act of 2017 (HR 4666)

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief reviews current federal and state policies on private insurance coverage of abortion services, and how the Premium Relief Act of 2017 would affect abortion coverage for women enrolled in the individual market and some small group plans.

  • Medicaid Managed Care and the Provision of Family Planning Services

    Report

    Three quarters of reproductive age women on Medicaid are enrolled in managed care arrangements. This analysis explores the experiences and perspectives of leaders of Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) in structuring their networks and services to provide family planning and reproductive health services to women. It finds that MCOs rely heavily on safety net clinics including Community Health Centers and Family Planning Clinics such as Planned Parenthood to provide in-network family planning services to their…

  • Ten Ways That the House American Health Care Act Could Affect Women

    Issue Brief

    In this brief, the Kaiser Family Foundation outlines 10 ways women could be affected under the House of Representatives’ American Health Care Act. In particular, the brief analyzes how changes might affect Medicaid and its expansion population, financial assistance in the individual insurance market, coverage for essential health benefits and preventive services such as contraception, abortion, and maternity care, as well as insurance reforms such as gender rating.

  • 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…

  • Young People Have Mixed Views On Abortion; But Strong Support For Sex Education And Gay Rights-3069

    Poll Finding

    Young people have mixed opinions on abortion, but strong positions on comprehensive sex education, HIV/AIDS policies, and gay rights, all hot button issues that could be affected by the upcoming presidential campaign, according to a new national survey of 18-24 year-olds released today by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign. Seventy percent of young people say that whatever their own opinion on abortion, they favor a woman having the…