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 >>

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

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  • Wisconsin’s BadgerCare Program and the ACA

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet provides an overview of changes to BadgerCare, Wisconsin's 1115 waiver demonstration project, and how it relates to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion.

  • California’s Uninsured on the Eve of ACA Open Enrollment

    Report

    This report presents the findings of a baseline survey of California’s uninsured adult population just before the start of the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will be followed by three other surveys over the course of the next two years that will capture the changing experiences and attitudes of this same group of 2,000 people over time, whether they obtain coverage or remain uninsured. The report analyzes the uninsured…

  • First Wave of Major New Survey Project on California’s Uninsured

    News Release

    California’s Uninsured Struggle With Costs and Access And Say They Want Insurance, But Most Have Heard Little About The Affordable Care Act, And Many Who Are Likely To Be Eligible For Medi-Cal or Exchange Subsidies Don’t Know It Many Undocumented Immigrants in CA Think They Will Get Coverage Through the ACA But Won’t Menlo Park, Calif. – California’s uninsured are skipping medical care, struggling with costs and want coverage, but many report knowing little about…

  • Obamacare y Usted: Si no tiene seguro médico

    Fact Sheet

    Obamacare ha creado nuevas maneras de tener cobertura de salud. Si usted no tiene seguro médico a través de su empleador, seguramente pueda obtenerlo a través del nuevo Mercado de los Seguros Médicos (o "intercambio") en su estado. Nuevas opciones de cobertura Llenando una única aplicación, usted aprenderá sobre sus opciones de planes médicos y los costos, y si califica para tener cobertura a través de Medicaid o para recibir un subsidio para comprar un…

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: October 2014

    Feature

    In the final Kaiser Health Tracking Poll before the 2014 midterm elections in November, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to be just one of several issues on voters’ minds. Less than 1 in 10 registered voters identify the ACA as the most important issue to their vote, ranking behind the economy, dissatisfaction with government, education and the situation in Iraq and Syria. With the ACA’s second open enrollment period approaching, the poll also finds…

  • Explaining the 2015 Open Enrollment Period

    Issue Brief

    The brief provides an overview of what consumers can expect during the second annual Open Enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which runs from November 15, 2014 through February 15, 2015. It is the second opportunity for uninsured individuals to enroll in private insurance coverage, premium tax credits and cost sharing subsidies and the first time that people newly insured in 2014 can renew their health plan coverage and subsidies. It also overlaps…

  • Assessing Americans’ Familiarity With Health Insurance Terms and Concepts

    Poll Finding

    With the approaching launch of the second open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health insurance marketplaces and at a time when open enrollment is also happening for many job-based plans, the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,292 U.S. adults to shed light on Americans’ understanding of basic health insurance terms and concepts, and to identify gaps in awareness that could lead to difficulties for some individuals as they…

  • Medicaid Expansion in Red States

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explains that Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam's decision on Medicaid expansion via the Affordable Care Act is the latest sign of pragmatism slowly winning over ideology in red states.

  • Majority Favors the Affordable Care Act’s Employer Mandate, But Opinion Can Shift When Presented With Pros and Cons

    News Release

    Recent news stories on the heath law did not attract most Americans’ attention, and many are unaware of details and implications of the developments Weeks before the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate takes effect in January, a new Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds that six in 10 Americans (60%) say they have a favorable view of the provision, which in 2015 requires employers with 100 or more full time workers to offer health coverage…

  • Proposed Medicaid Expansion in Utah

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet provides a summary of the proposal to expand Medicaid in Utah. This has not been officially submitted to CMS and needs state legislative approval before it could be implemented.