Uninsured

New and noteworthy

Quote from KFF President and CEO Drew Altman reads, "when it comes to the “affordability crisis” driving the national discussion of health care today, the chronically ill, and most of all the chronically ill uninsured, are the tip of the spear."

The Group that Struggles the Most in American Health Care

In a new column, Dr. Drew Altman, KFF’s Founding President and CEO, previews findings about the chronically ill uninsured from a large KFF survey of 25,000 Americans focusing on the cost and access challenges facing the chronically ill, which will be released tomorrow. He writes: “There are more than enough needs to go around in American health care, but if I had to pick the one group that struggles the most with costs and access, it would be people with chronic illnesses who are also uninsured.”

Other “Beyond the Data” columns >>

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.

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.

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

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  • Immigration Reform and Access to Health Coverage: Key Issues to Consider

    Issue Brief

    The Obama administration and a bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently released blueprints for immigration reform proposals that include a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States. Subject to meeting specified requirements, these individuals would be able to apply for a provisional lawful status. After completing an undefined number of years in this status, an individual would then be allowed to apply for lawful permanent residency and,…

  • Filling the Gaps: Dental Care, Coverage and Access

    Event Date:
    Event

    While the Affordable Care Act is expected to expand public and private coverage for children when it takes effect in 2014, significant gaps will remain, especially for low-income adults age 21 and older. This June 19, 2012, a public forum at the Foundation's Washington, D.C. offices examined the gaps and disparities in dental coverage and care in the United States today; the health, social, and other consequences of these systemic deficiencies; and promising strategies for…

  • Low-Income Adults Under Age 65 – Many are Poor, Sick, and Uninsured

    Issue Brief

    This policy brief from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines the characteristics and insurance coverage of low-income adults under age 65, a group numbering more than 50 million people. Members of this group are more likely to be in poor health than other Americans and are the least likely to have health insurance. Nearly a third are from families earning less than twice the poverty level. Fifteen percent live in poverty. Although…

  • ANALYSIS: More than Half of Uninsured People Eligible for Marketplace Insurance Could Pay Less for Health Plan than Individual Mandate Penalty

    News Release

    A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that more than half (54% or 5.9 million) of the 10.7 million people who are uninsured and eligible to purchase an Affordable Care Act marketplace plan in 2018 could pay less in premiums for health insurance than they would owe as an individual mandate tax penalty for lacking coverage.

  • Obamacare Debate: Where GOP Governors Stand on Repeal and Replace

    From Drew Altman

    As congress prepares to vote on repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Drew Altman discusses whether Republican governors and congressional Republicans will be at odds over key issues when it comes to repealing and replacing the law in this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column.

  • High-Risk Pools as Fallback for High-Cost Patients Require New Rules

    From Drew Altman

    In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman examines how Republicans would “split the risk pools” between the healthier and the sick in their Affordable Care Act replacement plans, using state high risk pools as a fallback for higher cost patients, and examines the steps that would be necessary to make them effective based on prior experience in the states.