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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 >>

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.

State Health Facts: Health Coverage & the Uninsured

Get data on health insurance status for the population overall and broken down by age, gender, and income. More than 800 up-to-date health indicators at the state level can be mapped, ranked, and downloaded through State Health Facts.

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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  • Eliminating the ACA: What Could It Mean for Medicaid Expansion?

    Policy Watch

    The debate over filling the Supreme Court seat previously held by Ruth Bader Ginsburg has brought renewed attention to the possibility of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being overturned under the court challenge in California v. Texas, currently scheduled to be heard shortly after the election this November. The expansion of Medicaid was a central component of the ACA, and 39 states have now adopted the ACA expansion into their Medicaid programs. Because Medicaid is…

  • Analysis Finds List Prices for COVID-19 Tests Range from $20 to $850 At Large Hospitals Nationwide

    News Release

    A new KFF analysis of what large hospitals nationwide charge for out-of-network COVID-19 tests show a wide range of publicly posted prices -- from $20 to $850 for a single test. In many cases, the prices exceed what Medicare pays for COVID testing, which is either $51 or $100 depending on the test. Federal law now requires private insurers, Medicare and Medicaid to cover COVID-19 tests without any cost to the patient and provides funding…

  • Hispanic People are Facing Widening Gaps in Health Coverage

    Policy Watch

    New analysis shows that, in 2019, the number of uninsured continued to increase for the third year in a row. Much of the coverage loss between 2018 and 2019 was among Hispanic people, and these data point to significant increased barriers to health care for Hispanic people.

  • Millions of Uninsured Americans are Eligible for Free ACA Health Insurance

    Policy Watch

    Amid the ongoing pandemic and high unemployment, this poste xamines how many uninsured people would be eligible for free health insurance during in a typical year, including those who qualify for Medicaid or for tax credits that cover the full cost of an ACA Marketplace plan.

  • How Has the Pandemic Affected Health Coverage in the U.S.?

    Policy Watch

    Findings from administrative data suggest that the decline in enrollment among employer-sponsored insurance was far less than overall declines in employment as of September, and that many who did lose their job-based coverage likely found a safety net in coverage through Medicaid or the ACA marketplaces.

  • The Difference Different Approaches Make: Comparing Proposals to Expand Health Insurance

    Report

    The Difference Different Approaches Make: Comparing Proposals to Expand Health Insurance This paper estimates and compares the impacts of alternative mechanisms for expanding health insurance coverage. A variety of approaches-expansions of existing public programs, direct subsidies, and tax credits-and target populations-including children, poor adults, parents of Medicaid- or CHIP-covered children, and early retirees-are considered. The impacts of the proposals on coverage, costs and other program outcomes are compared. This paper is part of the Kaiser…

  • Getting Behind the Numbers on Access to Care

    Other Post

    The Debate About The Uninsured: How serious are their problems? Embargoed for release until: 9:30 AM, EDT, Tuesday, October 22, 1996 For further information contact: Matt James or Tina Hoff First National Study Asking People To Describe Health Care Experiences In Own Words: 46 Percent of Uninsured Adults Experienced "Serious" Consequences As a Result of Problems Getting and/or Paying for Health Care Study Published in This Week's JAMA Washington, D.C. -- Whenever health care is…

  • First Glance at the Children’s Health Initiative in Santa Clara County, California

    Report

    A new background report examines Santa Clara County in California in its effort to provide health insurance coverage (Children's Health Initiative or CHI) to all children living in the county. As one of the first localities to attempt such an initiative, its experiences can highlight important lessons and potential best practices for policymakers at the county, state, and national level considering coverage expansions for children. Also see Lessons from the Field: Increasing Enrollment in Children's…

  • Uninsured Children in the South

    Fact Sheet

      Over 4 million children living in the South have no health insurance coverage. While the South experienced a decrease (3 percent) in the number of uninsured children from 1989 to 1993 -- the number of uninsured children nationally increased by 9 percent (Figure 1) -- the region accounts for a dispro-portionately high share of uninsured children in America. Over a third (36 percent) of American children live in the South, but the region accounted…