Plus, Biden Said State of the Union Is Strong and Made Clear His Campaign Is Off and Running
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The Latest

March 8, 2024

State of the Union: Five Health Policy Topics

President Biden touched on a number of health policy issues in his State of the Union speech Thursday night. Check out these KFF resources for information on five topics:

  • Abortion. Our latest poll examines the public’s views of allowing abortion in cases of pregnancy-related emergencies, a national 16-week ban, and other proposals, while our abortion dashboard provides key data and information about abortion access around the country. 
  • Drug prices. Read our explainer about Medicare’s drug-price negotiation program, which the president asked Congress to expand, and learn about the public’s views about prescription drugs and their prices.
  • The Affordable Care Act. Learn how enhanced subsidies contributed to the Affordable Care Act marketplaces’ record enrollment, and the public’s views about the law and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
  • Health care affordability. Our polling explores Americans’ challenges with health costs, and KFF President and CEO Drew Altman explores why affordability is the health policy issue most likely to resonate across the political spectrum.
  • Gun violence. Firearms now kill more children and adolescents (ages 1-17) than any other cause , and about half of the public says they or their family has been affected by gun-related incidents.

Biden Said State of the Union Is Strong and Made Clear His Campaign Is Off and Running

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President Joe Biden used his roughly 68-minute address to Congress to counter lackluster public approval ratings and draw clear contrasts between his administration’s policies and those of Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans. Abortion and health care were in the spotlight.

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Abortion Voters Lean Democratic and Largely Want Abortion to Be Legal

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KFF's latest poll finds that this year’s abortion voters largely favor legal abortion, a shift from before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, when they largely opposed abortion. Large majorities across political parties also favor legalized abortion in pregnancy-related emergencies.

Learn more

Biden Team, UnitedHealth Struggle to Restore Paralyzed Billing Systems After Cyberattack

The cyberattack on a unit of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum division is the worst on the health care industry in U.S. history, hospitals say. Providers struggling to get paid for care say the response by the insurer and the Biden administration has been inadequate.

Read the story

Question of the Week

Last week, 37% correctly answered that 48% of immigrants say they do not have enough information to understand how U.S. immigration policies impact them and their families.

What percentage of the public supports laws protecting access to abortion for patients who are experiencing pregnancy-related emergencies?  

45%
63%
86%

 See how many readers answered this week's question correctly in next Friday's edition.

NEWS AND HEADLINES

  • Operating in the Red: Half of Rural Hospitals Lose Money, as Many Cut Services
  • VIP Health System for Top US Officials Risked Jeopardizing Care for Soldiers
  • Operating in the Red: Half of Rural Hospitals Lose Money, as Many Cut Services
  • California May Face More Than $40M in Fines for Lapses in Prison Suicide Prevention
  • KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The State of the Union Is ... Busy

DATA AND ANALYSIS

  • Access to Adult Dental Care Gets Renewed Focus in ACA Marketplace Proposal

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

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