Stay informed about health care issues that affect you, and the policy decisions being made statewide.
Check out 2026’s priority legislation in the Kentucky Voices for Health Justice Bill Tracker & our General Assembly Accessibility Guide! These bills promote racial equity and would reduce health disparities.
In March 2025, KVH launched the Keep Kentucky Covered Coalition (originally called the Kentucky Medicaid Defense Coalition). We are a statewide coalition of individuals, nonprofits, and healthcare professionals that seeks to safeguard Medicaid and ensure access to healthcare for vulnerable populations. We have developed materials that educate about the impact of Medicaid cuts to specific populations. You can view all materials here in our Toolkit. Ways to Get Involved Together, we can protect Medicaid!
As of October 2024, 36 states and also Washington D.C. have adopted paid parental leave policies for state employees. Nearly all have adopted their state employee leave policies ranging from six (6) to twelve (12) weeks per event (birth, adoption, foster placement). Kentucky is not one of these states. On December 12, 2024, Governor Beshear announced a state employee leave policy allowing up to six (6) weeks that can be used once every ten (10) years that could support parental leave and also other medical necessities or emergencies (e.g. when an individual suffers a stroke/heart attack, is in a bad accident, faces urgent caregiving demands of a family member, etc.). Currently, neither paid leave option being proposed is available to Kentucky’s public servants. Regarding the paid parental leave option in particular, as these regulations have been filed, Kentucky would be the only state in the nation with a restrictive once-per-10-years limitation. These regulations establishing a paid parental leave and medical necessity leave
Check out 2024’s priority legislation in the Kentucky Voices for Health Justice Bill Tracker! These bills promote racial equity and would reduce health disparities.
It’s that time of every-other-year again: Kentucky’s General Assembly is working on the state’s budget. Advocates, policy analysts, lobbyists and constituents will fill the halls of Frankfort until mid-April, working to see their priorities get funded. What’s different this year is that there’s more than enough to go around – an unprecedented $3.7 billion – to fund policies and programs that help all Kentuckians thrive. After two decades of recession, inflation, economic hit after economic hit – it’s a refreshing reality. We deserve to see this surplus used wisely, not set aside. It’s time for Kentucky to invest in itself. From clean drinking water to better roads, addressing substance use and investing in education, affordable housing and disaster recovery, there are many priorities in need of investment to help ensure a healthier, more vibrant future for Kentucky. Every family and local economy in KY benefits from a strong healthcare safety-net and child care industry. We deserve to see this surplus
Check out 2024’s priority legislation in the Kentucky Voices for Health Justice Bill Tracker! These bills promote racial equity and would reduce health disparities.
Medical debt is the single biggest reason for personal bankruptcy, and Kentucky is 10th in the nation for people with medical bills in collection. Even before the pandemic, more than half of Kentuckians experienced a healthcare affordability burden. When you’re paycheck-to-paycheck trying to make ends meet, there’s no extra money for unexpected medical bills or ever-increasing out of pocket costs. Many Kentucky families are just one emergency away from financial crisis and a cycle of debt collection that can feel inescapable. Kentucky Voices for Health is a nonpartisan coalition of consumer health advocates dedicated to addressing the root causes of poor health in the commonwealth. Cost is the most common reason for avoiding medical care in Kentucky. Medical debt makes people more likely to miss medical appointments, discontinue treatments, and skip prescriptions. No one should have to choose between medical treatment or meeting basic needs like food, heat, or rent. Medical debt is a systemic issue that requires policy change
