Unraveling the Mysteries of Biden vs. Trump on Health Care June 24, 2024 From Drew Altman In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman unravels the differences between Trump and Biden on Medicare, abortion, drug costs and other health-related issues that KFF’s new side-by-side candidate analysis examines. From the bird’s eye view, these differences amount to a fork in the road in direction on the role of the federal government in health and federal health spending.
The Mental Health Crisis Within the Mental Health Crisis May 22, 2024 From Drew Altman In his new column, KFF CEO Drew Altman discusses how America’s mental health crisis affects families. The number of families experiencing a serious mental health-related event is large enough to constitute a crisis within the larger mental health crisis.
“Healthification”: The Good and Bad of Making Everything a Health Issue May 8, 2024 From Drew Altman In his new column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman discusses the pros and cons of labeling socio-economic problems as health issues.
Forward or Backward on the Uninsured? April 25, 2024 From Drew Altman In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman looks back at the remarkable progress made in expanding coverage for the uninsured and what it could mean politically for today’s remaining uninsured—a population that has had little clout historically and will command even less attention now.
More On Health and Politics: The Peculiar Timing of Republican Health Policy Plans April 9, 2024 From Drew Altman In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman examines the conservative Republican Study Committee’s sweeping proposals to remake Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and their potential to make waves in this year’s elections. Whether former President Trump ignores, embraces, or repudiates their ideas will be key.
Is Medicaid Too Big to… Block Grant? March 26, 2024 From Drew Altman In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman examines how the politics around the Medicaid program have changed as it has grown much larger and more popular, making it even tougher to block grant the program to cut federal Medicaid spending and hand it off to the states.
The Symbolic Manipulation of Health Issues in Elections March 15, 2024 From Drew Altman KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explains why data and facts, policy plans and lists of accomplishments do not connect with many voters. Understanding the symbolic dimensions of politics and issues is critical for experts. We can reach a share of the public with facts and data but need additional strategies to reach everyone, including storytelling and trusted messengers.
It’s Not a Health Care Election, But Health Issues Might Still Add Up February 28, 2024 From Drew Altman In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explores the potential for some health care issues—including abortion, drug costs and other affordability challenges—to influence enough voters in swing states to make a difference in this year’s presidential election.
Why Affordability Is the Big Tent February 20, 2024 From Drew Altman In this column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explores why the public’s concerns about out-of-pocket health costs make health care affordability the health policy issue most likely to resonate with voters across the political spectrum.
The Shifting Sands for State Medicaid Programs Lurking in Our Data February 12, 2024 From Drew Altman KFF President and CEO Drew Altman examines the coming squeeze on state budgets and state Medicaid programs, stemming from declining federal matching funds, weakening state revenues, and competing state priorities, and the challenges it poses for states seeking to strengthen their programs and try innovative new approaches.