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Affordability Is the Issue Now, But Look for the Uninsured to Make a Comeback

A new column on the uninsured from President and CEO Dr. Drew Altman explains: “The uninsured is not the most politically salient problem in health care now, that’s affordability, nor is it the non-problem some say it is. But it’s coming back. And the problem of the chronically ill uninsured is glaring.” Read more.

Key Facts about the Uninsured Population

The number and share of people without insurance grew in 2024, increasing for the first time since 2019, according to KFF’s analysis of data from the American Community Survey (ACS). This issue brief describes trends in health coverage in 2024, examines the characteristics of the uninsured population , and summarizes the access and financial implications of not having coverage.

More on the uninsured population >>

Data and analysis

The Uninsured and Health Coverage

This Health Policy 101 chapter examines the share of the United States population who are uninsured, highlighting their demographics and the challenges they face because of the lack of coverage.

How Many Uninsured Are in the Coverage Gap?

An estimated 1.4 million uninsured individuals in the 10 states without Medicaid expansion, including many working adults, people of color, and those with disabilities, remain in the “coverage gap,” ineligible for Medicaid or for tax credits that would make ACA coverage affordable to them.

Key Facts on Health Coverage of Immigrants

This fact sheet provides an overview of health coverage for immigrants based on data from the 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants. As of 2023, half of likely undocumented immigrant adults and one in five lawfully present immigrant adults reported being uninsured.

Who was uninsured in 2024?

Latest Polling
9.8%

The share of people under age 65 without insurance
62%

The share of uninsured adults who said they were uninsured because coverage is not affordable
59%

The share of uninsured adults who said they or someone living with them had problems paying for health care
39%

The share of uninsured adults who reported delaying or not getting needed care or medication due to cost
Other key facts about the uninsured >>

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  • A Historical Review of How States Have Responded to the Availability of Federal Funds for Health Coverage

    Issue Brief

    This historical review finds that the availability of federal funds has served as an effective incentive for states to provide health coverage to meet the health and long-term care needs of their low-income residents despite state budget pressures. The brief examines the history of earlier experiences and provides important context for how states may respond as they weigh the costs and benefits of expanding their Medicaid programs in 2014 as called for under the Affordable…

  • HIPAA Compliance Strategies In California:  Reforming the State’s Individual Health Insurance Market — Policy Brief

    Other Post

    HIPAA Compliance Strategies In California: Reforming the State's Individual Health Insurance Market -- Policy Brief A policy brief on reform of the individual insurance market and implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in California. The brief is based, in part, on discussion at a California Health Policy Roundtable held in Sacramento, California on March 12, 1998. Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a copy may still exist in…

  • Pulling It Together: The Falloff in Utilization: “There’s Something Happening, Here, What It Is Ain’t Exactly Clear”

    Perspective

    For as long as I have been in the field, we have seen cycles in health care costs. Per capita health spending would rise, then moderate, then rise gain. My colleague Larry Levitt and I documented this in The Sad History of Health Care Costs and my friend Dr. Jim Mongan called it “the peaks and valleys” of health care costs. We have never been sure whether the "valleys" were the result of government actions, such…

  • Five Key Questions About Medicaid And Its Role in State/Federal Budgets and Health Reform

    Report

    This fact sheet highlights key issues about Medicaid, including the structure, financing and purpose of the program, its role for low-income beneficiaries, its share of the federal budget and state budgets, and the significant implications of the coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Fact Sheet (.pdf) Related chartpack: Five Key Questions And Answers About Medicaid

  • Explaining Health Reform: Building Enrollment Systems That Meet The Expectations of the Affordable Care Act

    Issue Brief

    The new health reform law will require most U.S. citizens and legal residents to have health coverage by 2014. It provides new options for coverage by expanding Medicaid eligibility to more low-income people and creating a state-based system of health insurance Exchanges through which individuals can purchase coverage, with federal subsidies for many. The success of the law in achieving near-universal health coverage will depend on the effectiveness of the enrollment and renewal processes that…

  • Explaining Health Reform: Questions About the Temporary High-Risk Pool

    Issue Brief

    The health reform law creates a temporary national high-risk pool to provide health coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions who have been uninsured for six months. It is a temporary measure designed to bridge the gap until the implementation of other coverage provisions in the law that will take effect in January 2014. This summary provides answers to basic questions about the high-risk pool program. Brief (.pdf)

  • Coverage of Low-Income Children: Key Issues to Consider in Health Reform

    Issue Brief

    A key element of health reform will be meeting the needs of low-income children. Overall, a major goal of proposals is to expand coverage by building on Medicaid, providing subsidies to low- and moderate-income individuals to buy coverage through new health insurance exchanges, and requiring individuals to obtain coverage. Current proposals also could significantly change coverage for some children already eligible for Medicaid and CHIP. This issue brief examines several key issues to consider about…

  • The COBRA Subsidy and Health Insurance for the Unemployed

    Issue Brief

    With the nation's unemployment rate rising to its highest levels in decades as a result of the recession, many families have lost their employer-sponsored health coverage or are at risk of doing so. In an effort to help people maintain coverage after a layoff, the stimulus legislation known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides temporary subsidies to some workers so that they can maintain their previous employer-sponsored coverage through COBRA after…

  • The Public’s Health Care Agenda for the New President and Congress

    Poll Finding

      The Public's Health Care Agenda for the New President and Congress This survey captures the public's attitudes regarding the health care agenda for President Obama and the new Congress in 2009. It assesses the relative priority placed on health care by the American public as part of addressing the economic recession and as a large scale reform issue. The public's priorities for health care reform and their views on a range of other health…

  • Health Coverage in an Economic Downturn: Impact of Tight Budgets on Families and States

    Fact Sheet

    The economic downturn has strained family finances and prompted some Americans to cut back on medications and forgo preventive care and visits to the doctor. At the same time, the downturn has triggered declines in tax revenue that inhibit states’ ability to meet rising Medicaid program costs as enrollment spikes during economic hard times. Many states are expected to struggle to close budget gaps despite moves by Congress and the Obama Administration to temporarily boost…