KFF

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The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.

@kff.org Oct 10, 2026, 8:30 PM

Almost 650,000 people are on waiting lists for Medicaid home- and community-based services in 2026.

New KFF analysis tracks how waiting lists changed between 2016 to 2026: https://on.kff.org/4dMVmBp

Chart shows the number of states with waiting lists or interest lists for Medicaid home care has been fairly stable since 2016.

@kff.org Oct 10, 2026, 4:04 PM

The 2025 reconciliation law is changing Medicaid eligibility requirements across states.

See which states are affected by new work requirements, renewal requirements, and immigrant eligibility restrictions: https://on.kff.org/4hQIsDB

Map shows key Medicaid eligibility changes in the reconciliation law each state is required to implement.

@kff.org Oct 10, 2026, 3:21 PM

1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries (20%) can choose from among more than 40 Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans for 2027, down from 27% in 2026.

1% of all beneficiaries, or 638,000 people, will have no plan option for 2027, up from 399,000 this year: https://on.kff.org/3UbQSxr

A purple KFF graphic with white text showing statistics about Medicare beneficiaries. It states, "20%: 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries (20%) can choose from among more than 40 Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans for 2027. Meanwhile, 1% of all beneficiaries, or 638,000 people, will have no plan option for 2027." The source is KFF analysis, October 9, 2026.

@kff.org Oct 10, 2026, 12:56 PM

Our 2026 Women’s Health Survey finds that family support policies matter most to women who are already considering having a child.

About 7 in 10 say help with childcare costs or paid parental leave would make them more likely to do so: https://on.kff.org/3VV0eOw

The image is a bar chart from a KFF survey titled "Family Supports Would Have Greatest Impact on Women Already Considering Having a Child in Near Future." It shows the views of women ages 18-49 on government policies' impact on their decision to have or adopt a child within three years. The chart has two bars: one for providing financial assistance with childcare costs, and another for requiring employers to offer paid parental leave. Each bar is divided into three sections: "much or somewhat more likely" (68% and 72%), "not much impact or no impact at all" (27%), and "unsure or refused" (5% and 2%).

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 8:31 PM

Most women ages 18-49 say family support policies would not change their plans to have children or not.

But sizable shares say help with childcare costs or paid parental leave would make them more likely to consider it: https://on.kff.org/3VV0eOw

A KFF bar chart titled "One Third of Women Say Proposed Family Support Policies Would Make Them More Likely to Consider Having a Child." It displays survey results from KFF's Women’s Health Survey 2026. Four proposed supports are listed: "Increased the child tax credit and other tax breaks for people who have children," "Provided a cash payment to parents after welcoming a new child," "Provided more financial assistance with childcare costs," and "Required employers to offer paid parental leave." Each has percentages for "Much or somewhat more likely," "Not much or no impact at all," and "Not sure." The bars show varying levels of agreement, with most indicating "Much or somewhat more likely" and "Not much or no impact at all."

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 7:50 PM

Community health centers face a number of challenges amid significant federal policy changes and funding uncertainty.

This brief provides key data on health center patients, services, and financing in 2025 and analyzes changes over time. https://on.kff.org/3ZdWYfG

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 6:50 PM

All states are affected by the 2025 reconciliation law’s Medicaid changes.

See which of the law’s provisions affect each states — and which states are facing the greatest changes: https://on.kff.org/4hQIsDB

Bar chart from KFF titled "Number of States Affected by Key Medicaid Provisions in the 2025 Reconciliation Law". Showing the number of states affected by key Medicaid provisions in the 2025 Reconciliation Law. For eligibility: work requirements affect 44 states, immigrant eligibility restrictions 51 states, lower federal revenues and cost sharing for ACA enrollees 41 states. For financing: effective prohibition on new or increased provider taxes affects 51 states, future reduction in existing provider tax rates 31 states, limits on future state-directed payments 41 states, future reduction in existing state directed payments for hospitals 37 states, and new funding for rural areas 50 states.

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 6:11 PM

Findings from KFF’s 2026 survey of states’ Medicaid home care programs show how states are approaching program integrity in their programs: https://on.kff.org/3WgLmtV

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 5:18 PM

In this edition of The Monitor: How a health claim is presented may matter as much as whether it's accurate.

Recent research suggests people may place more trust in an AI chatbot when it sounds conversational, even when the information it gives is wrong. https://on.kff.org/4yJyprc

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 4:05 PM

AI in health care has mostly meant narrow tasks like reviewing scans or test results.

New federal pilots are testing something different: tools that interact directly with patients, provide therapy, and recommend treatment with less physician involvement. https://on.kff.org/4yJyprc

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 3:31 PM

Since September 2025, the healthcare sector has added 372,000 jobs (up 2%), while the overall non-farm economy apart from the healthcare sector gained 124,000 jobs (up 0.1%).

More on trends in healthcare employment in our new analysis: https://on.kff.org/4drAuPO

KFF graph titled "Is This a Healthcare Economy?" showing the cumulative percent change in jobs added since September 2025. The healthcare line rises steadily to nearly 2% by May 2026, while the non-healthcare line remains around 0.5%.

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 2:19 PM

More than half of Marketplace enrollees (55%) live in Republican districts.

The highest shares of state enrollment are in Florida (16%), Georgia (11%), Texas (10%), and Utah (10%) — states that were all won by President Trump in 2024.

Get more data here: https://on.kff.org/4jcR7m8

Map of the United States showing the share of Congressional Districts enrolled in the ACA Marketplace for 2026. Districts are shaded in varying shades of blue to indicate different enrollment percentages: under 3%, 3-8%, 8-10%, and over 10%. Some districts are marked with gray lines indicating redistricting since 2024. The map is sourced from KFF.

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 1:59 PM

Rural health centers served 10.2 million patients in 2025 — about 3 in 10 health center patients.

Medicaid covered 37% of rural health center patients and accounted for 32% of rural health center revenue.

Rural centers make up 4 in 10 health centers. https://on.kff.org/4elNuXw

This image is a KFF bar graph titled "Rural Health Centers Make Up 4 in 10 Health Centers and Serve 3 in 10 Health Center Patients." It shows data from KFF about Health Center Organizations and Health Center Patients. For Health Center Organizations, 42% are rural and 58% are urban (total 1.4K). For Health Center Patients, 31% are served by rural centers while 69% are served by urban centers (total 32.7M). Notes at the bottom provide context on data sources and exclusions.

@kff.org Oct 9, 2026, 12:45 PM

Support for a national health plan (commonly called “Medicare-for-All”) has grown, rising to about two-thirds (66%) of the public — but public opinion is highly malleable and support shifts when competing claims from critics and proponents are heard: https://on.kff.org/4dumQLT

A KFF line graph titled "Two-Thirds of U.S. Adults Now Favor Medicare-for-all, the Largest Share Since KFF Began Polling on the Plan." It shows data from 2017 to 2026. The graph has two lines: a blue line representing the favorability of the plan, reaching 53% in 2020, and a green line representing opposition, showing 42% in 2020. A dotted line projects data from 2020 to 2026.

@kff.org Oct 8, 2026, 10:50 PM

As the Trump administration focuses on birth rates, what kind of family policies would encourage people to grow their families?

We asked women and men what the government would have to do to make them more likely to consider having or adopting a child. https://on.kff.org/3VV0eOw

KFF chart titled "One Third of Women Say Proposed Family Support Policies Would Make Them More Likely to Consider Having a Child; More Men Say They Would Make a Difference." It shows percentages of women and men aged 18-49 on how various policies might influence their decision to have a child. Categories include "increased child tax credit," "cash payment to parents," "financial assistance with child care costs," and "required employers to offer paid parental leave."

@kff.org Oct 8, 2026, 10:15 PM

ACA Marketplace enrollment tends to be highest in the South, where several states have not expanded Medicaid. Florida leads the nation with 16% of its population enrolled, followed by Georgia (11%), Texas (10%), and Utah (10%): https://on.kff.org/4jcR7m8

Map showing U.S. states with the highest share of ACA marketplace enrollments and their 2024 presidential election winner. States are color-coded based on the winner, with percentages indicating population enrolled in ACA marketplaces. Florida has the highest enrollment at 16.4%, followed by Georgia (10.5%), Texas (10.3%), and Utah (9.5%). Data sources include KFF analysis, CMS Health Insurance Exchanges Monthly Effectuated Enrollment, and Census Bureau estimates.

@kff.org Oct 8, 2026, 9:58 PM

Health care employment has grown faster than other sectors of the economy, with jobs in healthcare settings, such as physician offices and hospitals, increasing over the past year even as the rest of the job market plateaued: https://on.kff.org/4drAuPO

@kff.org Oct 8, 2026, 8:23 PM

Florida, (16%), Georgia (11%), Texas (10%), and Utah (10%) have the highest share of residents enrolled in the ACA Marketplace.

See how enrollment varies by congressional district and changed between 2025 and 2026 in our new interactive maps: https://on.kff.org/4jcR7m8

@kff.org Oct 8, 2026, 7:18 PM

New hospital price transparency requirements took effect this year, but our new analysis finds issues with how hospitals are reporting rates that limit the usefulness of the data for researchers.

More on the data issues: https://on.kff.org/4jM3gP1

@kff.org Oct 8, 2026, 7:09 PM

Between 2025 and 2026, Marketplace enrollment fell more sharply in Republican-held congressional districts, which account for 55% of current enrollees but 67% of the enrollment decline: https://on.kff.org/4jcR7m8

Map of the United States showing changes in ACA Marketplace Enrollment by congressional district from 2025-2026. Districts are color-coded: dark blue for a decrease of more than 20%, medium blue for a 10-20% decrease, light blue for a 0-10% decrease, light green for a 0-10% increase, green for a 10% or more increase, and gray stripes for areas redistricted since 2024. Source: KFF analysis of CMS 2026 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period Public Use Files.

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