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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  • Falling Through the Cracks: Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Women

    Report

    Access to health coverage is a challenge for millions of low-income women. Because they are more likely to be low-wage workers and work in industries that don't offer benefits, access to job-based coverage is often problematic. Avenues for assistance are available to some through Medicaid. However, despite the program s broadened focus on children and pregnant women, restrictive income and categorical requirements still leave millions of women ineligible and often uninsured. Recent changes in public…

  • Online Resource List-EIBbriefinglinks4_.doc-20000418-EIBbriefinglinks4_-doc

    Other Post

    Online ResourcesKaiser Family Foundation Election 2000 ResourcesElection SitesMedia Organizations' Election SitesPolitical ResourcesPolitical Organization SitesWomen and the 2000 ElectionWebsites for WomenStatistics and PollsAdditional Resources Kaiser Family Foundation Election 2000 Resources League of Women Voters - Join the Debate: Your Guide to Health Issues in the 2000 Election (PDF Format) National Survey on Health Care and the 2000 Elections The Public, Managed Care, and Consumer Protection (PDF Format) Election Sites Federal Election Commission Freedom Channel: video views…

  • Sex Education in America:  A View from Inside the Nation’s Classrooms

    Report

    A series of new national surveys of students and their parents (1501 pairs), teachers (1001), and principals (313) from the Kaiser Family Foundation on Sex Education in America, was released on Tuesday, September, 26th, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Challenging the convention that Americans are reluctant to have sexual health issues taught in school, the surveys show that most parents, along with educators and students themselves, would expand sex education courses and…

  • Medicaid Support for Family Planning in the Managed Care Era

    Report

    As the largest source of public funding for contraceptive care in the United States, Medicaid plays a crucial role in financing family planning services and supplies for millions of low-income women across the nation. In the past 15 years, managed care has become the primary way of delivering care to children and adults on Medicaid, a development which has had significant implications for how family planning services are financed, organized and delivered under Medicaid. This…

  • Key Facts: Women and HIV/AIDS

    Report

    Women comprise a growing share of new cases of AIDS in the United States. In 1986, women only represented 7% of new cases of AIDS. By 1999 that share had risen to nearly one quarter. Not only do women represent an increasing share of persons with AIDS, today they represent 30 percent of new HIV infections. Women of color, particularly African Americans, have been hardest hit among women. This report provides an overview of the…

  • Hormonal Contraception Forty Years After Approval of

    Other Post

    "the Pill" This issue update reviews the research to date on the Pill the oldest hormonal contraceptive option as well as current medical recommendations concerning what women should know to make an informed choice about which contraceptive method to use. Issue Update: "the Pill"

  • Coverage for Abortion Services and the ACA

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief, Coverage of Abortion Services and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), summarizes the major coverage provisions of the ACA that are relevant for women of reproductive age, reviews current federal and state policies on Medicaid and insurance coverage of abortion services as they relate to the ACA, and presents national and state estimates on the availability of abortion coverage for women who are newly eligible for Medicaid or private coverage through the Marketplaces…