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This Health Policy 101 chapter explores Medicare, a federal health insurance program covering more than 68 million people, established in 1965 for people age 65 or older and later expanded to cover people under age 65 with long-term disabilities. In addition to detailing Medicare eligibility, coverage, and spending, the chapter examines the increased role of private plans in providing benefits and the financing challenges posed by increasing health care costs and an aging population.

This page displays an interactive map of the current status of state decisions on the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. Additional Medicaid expansion resources are listed (with links) below the map.

The average Medicare beneficiary will have 28 Medicare Advantage prescription drug (MA_PD) plans available for general enrollment in 2027. The number of plans varies widely across states.

Recently Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., changed how the federal government tracks deaths in its official measles tally, after Pennsylvania reported four deaths. This Policy Watch reviews the two roles, strengths, and weaknesses of the two public health surveillance systems at the center of this change: the Nationally Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) and the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS).

Health care employment continues to grow even as hiring across other sectors has plateaued. The health sector added nearly 379,000 jobs over the past year, a 2% increase, compared with just 0.2% growth in other non-farm employment, with outpatient care among the fastest-growing health care settings.

This brief examines the legal status of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, attempts to regulate them, and future efforts to expand their footprints as they gain more recognition and funding from local, state, and federal programs.

This brief describes the verification process for Medicaid work requirements in Nebraska and examines early data on outcomes for individuals subject to work requirements.

This data note reviews our recent polling data that finds that many Americans struggle to afford many aspects of health care, including disproportionate shares of uninsured adults, Black and Hispanic adults and those with lower incomes.

KFF's interactive tracks key data and policies that will affect how states implement Medicaid work requirements, which are required under the 2025 budget reconciliation law starting in January 2027. The tracker includes state-level data on Medicaid enrollment and renewal outcomes as well as current state enrollment and renewal policies.

KFF resources on the Medicaid work requirements in the 2025 Reconcilation law.

State-by-state information on Medicaid 1115 work requirement waivers.

A list of the implementation questions relating to the Medicaid work requirements in the 2025 Reconciliation law.