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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  • Web Briefing for Journalists – Potential Changes to Health Care Access and Coverage: What’s at Stake for Women?

    Event Date:
    Event

    House Republicans’ American Health Care Act and other actions under discussion by President Donald Trump’s administration and the new Congress could profoundly affect access to health care for many women. Repeal of the Affordable Care Act, changes to its birth control coverage provision, and new state and federal abortion restrictions, along with potential funding cuts and restrictions for family planning providers, including Planned Parenthood, would significantly impact the availability and cost of women’s health care,…

  • Poll: Early Perceptions of House Bill Show Public Thinks It Would Cover Fewer People and Raise Health Costs

    News Release

    Republicans More Likely to Expect Positive Changes Than Democrats or Independents Large Majority Favors Continued Medicaid Funding to Planned Parenthood Fielded March 6-12 as Americans were first learning about the American Health Care Act and before the Congressional Budget Office estimated its effects, the latest Kaiser Tracking Poll shows that large shares of the public expect the House Republican health care plan would result in fewer people having health insurance and higher costs for people…

  • Medicaid Family Planning and Maternity Care Services: The Current Landscape

    News Release

    As the Trump Administration and Congress weigh major changes to Medicaid and programs that fund reproductive health care, new analyses from the Kaiser Family Foundation highlight the current state of coverage and challenges for family planning, pregnancy, and perinatal services in the Medicaid program that provides coverage for millions of low-income women across the nation. The inclusion of maternity care as an essential health benefit has been the focus of a recent policy debate over…

  • 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.

  • 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…

  • Out-of-Pocket Costs for Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Among Individuals Enrolled in Employer Sponsored Insurance Plans

    Perspective

    In this analysis, published in the journal Contraception, KFF’s Linda Li, Brittni Frederiksen, and Alina Salganicoff look at intrauterine device (IUD) and contraceptive implant insertion-related costs among privately insured individuals to better understand why patients are experiencing unexpected expenses for what should be fully covered contraceptive services under the ACA.

  • Many Women Use Preventive Services, but Gaps in Awareness of Insurance Coverage Requirements Persist: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents findings from the 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey on women’s receipt of cancer screenings and other preventive services and differences between subgroups of women. We also present data on women’s and men’s awareness of federal requirements for private insurance coverage of preventive services.

  • Nearly Half of Young Women Report Negative Interactions with Health Care Providers

    News Release

    Among women ages 18-35 with a clinical visit in the past two years, more than four in 10 (46%) report experiencing a negative interaction with a health care provider, according to a new analysis of 2022 KFF Women’s Health Survey (WHS) data. These interactions included a provider either dismissing patients’ concerns, assuming something about them without asking, believing they were lying, blaming them for their health problems, or discriminating against them because of their age,…

  • Year in Review: 10 Health Policy Issues for 2023

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet offers a look back at 10 issues that KFF tracked closely during 2023 in its polling, policy analysis and journalism, including summaries of major findings and news stories.