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On July 16, 2022, the federally mandated crisis number, 988, became available to all landline and cell phone users at no charge. Since launch in July 2022, 988 has received 10.8 million calls, texts, and chats. In May 2024, monthly contacts exceeded half a million, up about one-third from a year ago and 80% since May 2022. Despite increased demand for 988 services, national answer rates improved and wait times decreased, though some gains slipped in the second year.

This Health Policy 101 chapter explores why polls and surveys are essential for understanding health policy issues and aims to teach you how to evaluate polls effectively. It covers the importance of polls in policy analysis, key considerations for interpretation, polling methodologies, and questions to assess the usefulness of polls. The chapter concludes with real-world examples demonstrating how polling informs policy debates.

Health care debt is a widespread problem in the United States. Medicare offers coverage for a range of health care services, including hospitalizations, physician visits, prescription drugs, and post-acute care, but Medicare beneficiaries generally pay out-of-pocket for their monthly premiums and deductibles, cost-sharing for Medicare-covered services, and the cost of services not covered by Medicare. This data note examines findings from the KFF Health Care Debt Survey to assess the prevalence, sources and consequences of health care debt among Medicare-age adults.

This fact sheet summarizes the major statutory requirements and policies pertaining to U.S. global family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) efforts over time and identifies those currently in effect.  These laws and policies collectively serve to direct how U.S. funds are spent, to where and which organizations funds are provided, and generally…

Enhanced premium subsidies were first made available under the American Rescue Plan Act and extended until the end of 2025 under the Inflation Reduction Act. This analysis shows the impact that enhanced subsidies have had on enrollment and premium payments, and the potential implications if the enhanced subsidies expire.