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Uninsured

Data and analysis

The coverage gap exists because some states did not expand Medicaid under the ACA to cover adults under age 65 without dependent children with incomes at/below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL)

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 ACA tax credits that would make coverage affordable.

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.

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.

New and noteworthy

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 >>

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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  • Disparities in Women’s Health

    Other Post

    Disparities in Women's Health Disparities in health and health care continue to burden women, particularly affecting women of color or those who are poor. To shed more light on the factors contributing to inequalities in health and access to care for women, the Kaiser Family Foundation provided support for the newest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Women's Association (JAMWA) Disparities in Women's Health. This special issue features an editorial by Surgeon General…

  • Health Coverage Among Community Health Center Patients, 2019-2024

    Community Health Center Patients, Financing, and Services

    Issue Brief

    Community health centers served more than 32 million patients in medically underserved urban and rural areas in 2024. This brief reports on health center patients, services, and financing in 2024, using national data from the Uniform Data System (UDS).

  • Improving Prescription Drug Coverage: Opportunities and Challenges for Reform

    Event Date:
    Event

    Tricia Neuman, Vice President and Director of the Medicare Policy Project, testified before the Senate Finance Committee on prescription drug coverage under Medicare. The statement reviews existing sources of prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries and the importance of such coverage for this population. It reviews current approaches for improving prescription drug coverage, identifying significant areas of common ground, as well as the key decisions and challenges facing policymakers in designing a Medicare drug benefit.

  • Wisconsin’s BadgerCare Plus Program: Moving Forward on Health Reform Amid a Recession

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet provides a brief overview of Wisconsin's BadgerCare Plus Program, a three-year-old initiative that merged the state's three distinct Medicaid programs for children, parents and pregnant women into a single comprehensive health coverage program. It also expanded eligibility to provide near-universal coverage for children and greater coverage for parents and childless adults. As of April 2010, the program provided coverage to 770,000 state residents, including 445,000 children. Fact Sheet (.pdf)

  • Expanding Health Coverage for Low-Income Adults: Filling the Gaps in Medicaid Eligibility

    Issue Brief

    Low-income adults (those with incomes below 200 percent of poverty, or $33,200 for a family of three in 2007) account for just over half of the non-elderly uninsured in the United States. This brief reviews the health coverage of non-elderly low-income adults and discusses the implications for national health reform efforts of broadening coverage for this population by filling gaps in Medicaid eligibility. Low-income adults are more than twice as likely to be uninsured as…

  • Key Issues to Consider for Outreach and Enrollment Efforts under Health Reform

    Issue Brief

    The Affordable Care Act will significantly expand health coverage opportunities through an expansion in Medicaid and the creation of new health insurance exchanges in 2014. Effective outreach and enrollment efforts will be vital for assuring the expansions translate into increased coverage. Based on a discussion with federal and state officials and experts, this report identifies key issues to consider with regard to outreach and enrollment under reform. The discussion was part of an ongoing series…

  • Changes in Health Insurance Status over a Two-Year Period

    Issue Brief

    The ability to maintain health insurance in the face of rising costs and an uncertain economy is a key concern for families and featured prominently in the health reform debate. While the percentage of the population without coverage at any one time changes by only a relatively small amount over a one- or two-year period, the percentage of people who start out with coverage and lose it for a meaningful amount of time during the…

  • Money Follows the Person Transitions Individuals from Nursing Homes to the Community

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents short profiles of four Ohio residents who have benefited from the state's Money Follows the Person demonstration program, known as HOME Choice. It was released along with several other resources on Medicaid long-term services and supports at a Feb. 7, 2011 briefing at the Foundation's Washington, D.C., offices. Profiles (.pdf)

  • The Inequity Of The Medicaid Coverage Gap and Why It Is Hard To Fix It

    Perspective

    In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt explores why the Medicaid "coverage gap" still exists in 12 states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, why it matters, and why eliminating it could prove challenging.

  • Pulling it Together: 2012: The ACA, and More

    From Drew Altman

    What is remarkable about 2012 (and the current era in health policy) is how many big health policy issues and marketplace changes will be in play at the same time: HEALTH REFORM: There is the implementation of a historic but fragile health reform law, with a Supreme Court decision pending and so much hanging in the balance. MEDICARE AND MEDICAID: There are continuing debates about potentially big changes in Medicare and Medicaid, driven by the…