KFF

Our new survey finds that women voters are more likely to say this presidential election will have a major impact on access to abortion in the U.S. — up 11-percentage points from earlier this summer. Among reproductive-age women, 79% of Democrats now say this election matters in a major way for abortion access. Republican women, on the other hand, don’t see the election as a major tipping point on abortion access. https://on.kff.org/3XYRwMJ

In his latest column, KFF President and CEO Drew Altman provides an early post-mortem on the role health played in the election, discussing the many ways it did play a role in the campaign — even if not a decisive one:

During the nearly 8-week annual open enrollment period, which begins on Tuesday Oct. 15, Medicare beneficiaries can change how they receive their coverage. Here are 10 things beneficiaries should know about Medicare open enrollment:

Heading into the 2024 election, inflation remains the number one issue for women voters overall (36%), our survey finds. Our new survey finds that Vice President Harris holds the edge among women voters when it comes to handling the rising cost of household expenses. Back in June, voters were evenly split and gave neither party the advantage. Harris’ advantage is particularly strong among Black and Hispanic women, while White women are split between the two candidates on the issue. View the findings: https://on.kff.org/3XYRwMJ

About a quarter of large employers (with 200 employees or more) say they cover in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and a similar share say they cover artificial insemination. More say they cover fertility medications (37%). See more about what family-building benefits are covered in our annual survey of health employer benefits: https://lnkd.in/dnRFWN6v

What are your other questions about the health care landscape in your state? Ahead of the 2024 Election, use our updated resource to explore the latest state-specific data and policies about health coverage and costs, women’s health policy, and more. https://on.kff.org/4dw61xg

Prescription drugs account for approximately 6% of total Medicaid spending, and Medicaid gross and net spending on them continues to rise due in part to new, high-cost drugs, like anti-obesity medications and cell and gene therapies for rare diseases. Most states are using cost containment initiatives to combat rising pharmacy costs, such as value-based purchasing arrangements and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms: https://on.kff.org/402Hgpg

Swipe for this week’s quick takes from KFF experts on the lasting impact of abortion bans and the future of the Affordable Care Act. ? ? Want to know more? View the quick takes in full: https://lnkd.in/e3HMAtPf

How widely available is coverage of GLP-1 drugs, like Wegovy, to treat obesity in employer health plans? Our survey found that fewer than 1 in 5 large employers with at least 200 workers offering health benefits say that they cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, while half say they don’t cover them, and the others are unsure. Among the largest firms with at least 5,000 workers, more than a quarter say they cover GLP-1 drugs, nearly two thirds say they don’t. https://lnkd.in/dnRFWN6v

Several major unexpected political events have taken place since we published our initial survey of women voters three months ago. We recontacted women voters to see how these changes are shaping the race ahead of Election Day. Since Vice President Harris entered the race, abortion has become the most important issue for women under age 30 — rising in the ranks above inflation, this group’s top issue from earlier this summer. Explore more findings from our survey of women voters: https://on.kff.org/482RJCZ