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

861 - 870 of 874 Results

  • KFF Examines How Abortion Bans, Misinformation, and State Actions May Affect Access to Contraception

    News Release

    Following the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, uncertainty has emerged over whether the right to contraception could also be limited. Justice Thomas’ concurring opinion in Dobbs renewed attention and raised the possibility that other Supreme Court precedents relying on the same principles as Roe, such as the right of people to obtain contraceptives, could also be overturned. In response, legislative bodies at the state and federal level have debated, and in some cases…

  • Since Dobbs, Few Large Firms Have Changed Their Plan’s Abortion Coverage Policy

    News Release

    According to an analysis of responses to KFF’s Employer Health Benefits Survey in 2023, relatively few (8%) large firms (with 200 or more workers) offering health benefits report reducing or expanding coverage for abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling. Since Dobbs, 3% of these large firms reduced or eliminated coverage for abortion where it is legal. Meanwhile, 12% of large firms whose largest plan covers…

  • At the Supreme Court: What’s at Stake for Emergency Abortion Care?

    News Release

    On April 24, the Supreme Court will hear Idaho v. United States—the second case this term involving access to abortion. In a new brief, KFF examines what’s at stake, focusing on whether the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA)—a federal law requiring nearly all hospitals to ensure emergency room patients are stable before they are discharged from hospital care—preempts state abortion laws.  The new brief reviews the background on the case and EMTALA,…

  • Challenges and Strategies in Expanding Non-Traditional Pregnancy-Related Services: Findings from a Survey of State Medicaid Programs

    Issue Brief

    A growing number of states have added Medicaid coverage of non-traditional pregnancy-related care and services in recent years, such as doula services, lactation services, and home visiting programs, to promote better maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce racial/ethnic health disparities. This brief explores state strategies and challenges in promoting access to these services.

  • The Title X Network Has Largely Returned Under the Biden Administration 

    News Release

    A new KFF brief examines the return of grantees and clinic sites to the Title X network under the Biden Administration, which reversed Trump Administration regulations that prohibited Title X sites from providing abortion referrals and having co-located abortion services. For more than 50 years, the federal Title X program has provided family planning services to nearly four million people a year through a network of clinics. The program is part of the U.S. public…

  • A Focus on Contraception in the Wake of Dobbs

    Perspective

    In this commentary for Women’s Health Issues, a publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health, KFF experts discuss contraceptive coverage and financing policies, access points within the delivery system, and the role of mis- and disinformation.

  • One Year Since Dobbs: The Landscape of Abortion Policies Across the US  

    News Release

    There has been intense focus on abortion policies across the United States since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24, 2022. That decision overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating federal constitutional protections for abortion and putting the decision to restrict or protect abortion with the states.  Now, nearly one year later, what is the status of federal and state developments? Where is abortion banned? Where is litigation pending? And…

  • Poll: Most Americans Encounter Health Misinformation, and Most Aren’t Sure Whether It’s True or False 

    News Release

    A new KFF survey reveals the broad reach of health misinformation, with at least four in 10 people saying that they’ve heard each of 10 specific false claims about COVID-19, reproductive health, and gun violence. Relatively small shares say that each of those false claims are “definitely true”, ranging from as few as 3% who definitively believe that COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to cause infertility to as many as 18% who definitively believe armed…

  • Insurance Coverage of OTC Oral Contraceptives: Lessons from the Field

    Report

    This report is based on 35 structured interviews conducted from January to August 2023, with nearly 80 experts and key players such as pharmacists, health plans, and state Medicaid officials involved in the coverage and provision of OTC contraception in seven states with one or more of these coverage approaches (IL, NJ, NM, NY, OR, UT, and WA). It discusses the challenges and successes in coverage under private health insurance and Medicaid and reviews policy…