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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
Other key facts about the uninsured >>

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1,161-1,170 of 1,313 results

  • Race, Ethnicity & Medical Care: A Survey of Public Perceptions and Experiences

    Poll Finding

    Toplines This is a copy of the results of a telephone survey conducted on a random, national sample of nearly 4,000 African American, Latino and white adults, 18 years of age and older. The questions were designed to reveal what each respondent believed about the impact of race and ethnicity on medical care today. Some questions asked about respondents' experiences and others asked about their perceptions. Toplines/Survey Chart Pack This chartpack includes a number of…

  • Making Child Health Coverage a Reality: Lessons From Case Studies of Medicaid and CHIP Outreach and Enrollment Strategies

    Report

    Recent expansions in public health insurance for children and changes in welfare laws present states with the challenge of identifying and enrolling the large population of uninsured children in their Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). This study describes and analyzes the outreach and enrollment strategies and systems in place in four states at the county level, highlighting issues and challenges states face during implementation. The study sites selected were Santa Clara County (San…

  • The Second Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Health Care in South Africa

    Report

    The 2nd Annual Kaiser Family Foundation National Household Survey of approximately 4,000 South African households measures changes since the first survey (in 1998) in key demographics, public health, and health status indicators. The survey also establishes data on access to health care and factors affecting access, such as the cost of transport, waiting time, etc., as well as patient satisfaction with the quality of care. Report

  • Implementation of Managed Care Consumer Protections in Missouri, New Jersey, Texas & Vermont

    Report

    This study goes beyond the legislative debates over expanded patients' rights to explore how managed care consumer protections have actually been implemented in four states (Missouri, New Jersey, Texas & Vermont) all of which have been active in this area. The study describes the details of the reforms, the issues that have arisen in implementation, and the lessons for policymakers from the experiences of these states. An Overview/Executive summary of the full report is also…

  • Managed Care for Low-Income Populations with Special Needs: The Oregon Experience

    Report

    This report focuses on Oregon's experience in moving their disabled Medicaid beneficiaries into managed care. It is one of a series of reports from The Kaiser/Commonwealth Low-Income Coverage and Access Project. This project examines how changes in the Medicaid program have affected health insurance coverage and access to care for hte low-income population in eight states: California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas. Report

  • Managed Care and Low-Income Populations: Four Years’ Experience with the Oregon Health Plan

    Report

    This report updates an earlier study of Oregon's experience with restructuring their Medicaid programs. It is one of a series of reports from The Kaiser/Commonwealth Low-Income Coverage and Access Project. This project examines how changes in the Medicaid Program have affected health insurance coverage and access to care for the low-income population in eight states: Maryland, California, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas. Report

  • The Medicaid Eligibility Maze: Coverage Expands, but Problems Persist

    Report

    This report examines Medicaid eligibility policies and operations in five states - California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin - following initial changes introduced by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 and the new Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The study findings suggest that eligibility policy expansions alone may not prevent Medicaid enrollment declines. The report discusses several problem areas affecting Medicaid eligibility and enrollment operations including challenges in severing Medicaid…

  • Medicare State Profiles: State and Regional Data on Medicare and the Population it Serves

    Report

    Although Medicare is a national program, there are substantial variations across states and regions in terms of beneficiary characteristics, health needs, and utilization of Medicare-covered services. Likewise, there are also considerable differences in Medicare spending and the emergence of Medicare managed care. In a single resource document, , presents state-by-state demographic data on the Medicare population, along with information on health service utilization, spending, and Medicare HMO penetration. It also provides regional data on the…

  • A Profile of the Low-Income Uninsured

    Issue Brief

    This policy brief provides an overview of the low-income, uninsured population. Based on an analysis of the March 1998 Current Population Survey, the report discusses the demographic characteristics of this vulnerable population. It also presents information detailing health insurance coverage for low-income children and adults, as well as trends in insurance coverage over the past decade. It concludes with a discussion of recent coverage expansions and policy changes that have affected low-income Americans. The policy…

  • Access To Health Care:

    Report

    Promises and Prospects For Low-Income Americans This book explores critical issues affecting access to health care for low-income Americans by assessing the importance of expansions of health coverage for the poor, the emerging challenges providers who serve low-income and uninsured populations face in a rapidly evolving health care delivery system, and the effects of these changes on particularly vulnerable populations. Articles include: IntroductionMarsha Lillie-Blanton, Rose Marie Martinez, Barbara Lyons, Diane Rowland A Review Of The…