KFF

⚡ In a Quick Take, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman outlines what could happen with various health policy issues — including the ACA, Medicaid, and abortion — depending on the outcome of the election. #QuickTake https://on.kff.org/4fng8FZ

Enhanced ACA subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act have driven record-high ACA Marketplace enrollment — nearly doubling in 2024 since 2020. Our new analysis highlights 10 key changes and issues to watch in the 2025 open enrollment period:

ACA Marketplace open enrollment starts today (in all states except Idaho) and runs through Jan. 15, 2025, in most states. For help navigating Marketplace insurance options this period, check out our collection of FAQs, fact sheets and other resources:

Direct care workers serve some of the nation’s most vulnerable older adults and people with disabilities and receive low wages and few benefits for the demanding, high-stress work. Well over half (65%) report earning less than $35,000. As a result, nearly all states report shortages of direct care workers. Learn more about the direct care workforce and differences across their roles in our new brief:

Limits on federal Medicaid funding contribute to increasing challenges for Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories in addressing the health care needs of their residents given growing poverty, infrastructure, and environmental challenges. Learn more in our latest brief: https://on.kff.org/48nj577

While neither presidential candidate has announced detailed policy proposals in the campaign, the outcome of the 2024 election could have implications for Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. Our new brief explores how Medicaid financing differs between the territories and the states and what those differences can mean for funding and access to health care:

What’s new in employer health benefits for 2024?     Our 26th annual survey of more than 2,100 large and small employers provides a detailed picture of the trends affecting employer-sponsored coverage — and the roughly 154 million non-elderly Americans who rely on it.    Swipe to see a few key findings from this year’s survey.

According to our survey of state Medicaid directors, reduced revenue collections, expiration of pandemic-era federal funding, and other macroeconomic uncertainties may discourage states from increasing funding for access to behavioral health, long-term care, and higher provider reimbursement rates — and could prompt spending reductions. Get more of our survey findings:

Check out this week’s quick takes from KFF experts, exploring the nuances of election polling beyond the headlines and analyzing how the Biden administration’s proposed new regulations could affect contraceptive coverage.

What are some key policy priorities that state Medicaid programs have — and are continuing to — focus on? Our new report highlights key priorities including reducing health disparities, improving access to behavioral health services and long-term services and supports, and implementing broader delivery system and value-based initiatives.