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.

Stay informed.

Stay informed.

Filter

761 - 770 of 874 Results

  • Emergency Contraception on the Drug Store Shelves?Will it Happen? And What Would It Mean for “The Pill”?

    Issue Brief

    The debate over whether women should be able to get "the pill" without a prescription has been going on quietly for years. Now, some women's health advocates are asking if emergency contraception, birth control that can be used to prevent pregnancy after sex, should be available over-the-counter. The reason? While new emergency contraceptive products are now on the market, many U.S. women still don't know about them. And, even if they do, they might not…

  • 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…

  • Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey of Kids (and Their Parents) About Famous Athletes as Role Models

    Poll Finding

    With the most recent Olympics and now Major League Baseball marred by reports of the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs, a new nationwide survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the influence of sports figures in kids' lives today. Based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,500 children ages 10-17 years old (and 1,950 parents), the survey found that many American kids are mirroring the behavior of famous athletes - the…

  • 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…

  • Kaiser Family Foundation/ Self National Survey on Women’s Health Policy Priorities & Election 2000, Summary of Findings and Questionnaire

    Report

    The Kaiser Family Foundation and Self magazine have partnered on a nationally representative survey of more than 1000 Americans, ages 18 and older, to examine how women (and men) rate the importance of health policy issues from abortion to HIV/AIDS to Medicare in the upcoming election. Highlights from the survey include Americans views about politicians health care promises as well as which candidate Americans trust with the health care issues that are most important to…

  • Health News Index – July/August 2000

    Poll Finding

    Health News Index July/August, 2000 The July/August 2000 edition of the Kaiser Family Foundation/HarvardSchool of Public Health, Health News Index includes questions about major health stories covered in the news, including questions about the Supreme Court's recent decisions and House action on proposals for providing drug coverage to seniors. The Health News Index is designed to help the news media and people in the health field gain a better understanding of which health stories in…

  • If The FDA Approves Mifepristone…What Happens Next? Will Doctors Provide It? Will Women Want It? And, What Effect Will it Have on Abortion Politics?

    Report

    For almost 20 years, women's health advocates have been pushing for U.S. approval of mifepristone (also known as "RU-486"), a non-surgical abortion method that European women have used for a decade. Now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems poised to give the final go-ahead, the big question is: So what happens next? Will mifepristone make abortion more "private," allowing women and doctors to avoid the threats and protests that have plagued many clinics?…

  • If The FDA Approves Mifepristone…What Happens Next? Will Doctors Provide It? Will Women Want It? And, What Effect Will it Have on Abortion Politics? – Resource List

    Other Post

    Resource List Resource List If the FDA Approves Mifepristone . . . What Happens Next? Will Doctors Provide It? Do Women Want It? And, What Effect Will It Have on Abortion Politics? Tuesday, June 13, 2000 BRIEFING PARTICIPANTSOTHER RESOURCESResearch and Medical PracticeLegal and Political IssuesEmerging Issues in Reproductive Health, Program Contacts Briefing Participants Sandra P. Arnold Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH Tina Hoff Carole Joffe, PhD Eric A. Schaff, MD Other Resources Research and Medical Practice:…

  • Speaker Biographies

    Other Post

    Sandra P SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES SANDRA P. ARNOLD Sandra P. Arnold is Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and Acting Secretary of the Population Council. Her responsibilities encompass information systems, finance and accounting, human resources, publications and public information, contract administration, product licensing, legal affairs, and industry relationships. As manager of the business aspects of the Council's operations, Ms. Arnold is liaison with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the approval of mifepristone. The Council holds the…

  • Online Resources-Online.doc-20000613a-Online-doc

    Other Post

    Online Resources KFF Resources Daily Reproductive Health Reports on RU-486 and MifepristoneOffers a retrospective look at the debate, using the archives of this daily report.Abortion, Issue Update May 1999 Highlights the clinical and political issues regarding abortion.From the Patient's Perspective: the Quality of Abortion Care May 1999 - Women's views and perceptions of the quality of care they have received.Abortion in the U.S., Fact SheetSeptember 1998 - Offers some useful background statistics on abortion in…