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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  • Challenges to Forecasting Obamacare Enrollment for 2015

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explains why 2015 enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces is very hard to predict. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • How 13 Million Americans Could Lose Insurance Subsidies

    From Drew Altman

    This was published as a Wall Street Journal Think Tank column on November 19, 2014. Kaiser Family Foundation calculations of how many Americans could lose subsidies in 2016 depending on the Supreme Court’s ruling in King v. Burwell. The Supreme Court is expected to rule next year on King v. Burwell, the lawsuit in which the federal government’s authority to provide financial assistance to people who buy insurance in federally operated insurance exchanges is being challenged under a…

  • Web Briefing: Early Impacts of the Medicaid Expansion for the Homeless Population

    Event Date:
    Event

    The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion provides a significant opportunity to increase health coverage and improve access to care for individuals experiencing homelessness, who historically have had high uninsured rates and often have multiple, complex physical and mental health needs. On Monday, December 15, 2014, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a web briefing to examine the early impacts of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion on the homeless population, as well as opportunities and challenges looking forward.  The…

  • Following Midterms, Both Democrats and Republicans Expect Washington to Continue to Debate the Affordable Care Act, But the Public Is Splintered Over What Congress Should Do

    News Release

    About Half of Uninsured Expect To Find Coverage in the Coming Months, Though Another Quarter Say They Won't Because They Do Not Believe They Can Find an Affordable Plan Following the Nov. 4 midterm elections that saw Republicans seize control of the Senate and expand their House majority, nearly half of Americans (47%) expect increased debate between the two parties over the Affordable Care Act, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's latest tracking poll. In comparison,…

  • JAMA Forum: Why Health Insurance Literacy Matters

    Perspective

    Larry Levitt's November 2014 post looks at the challenges with people not understanding basic health insurance concepts as millions of them evaluate and choose health plans during open enrollment season for insurance in 2015.

  • Health Care in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands: A Six-Month Check-Up After the Storms (Event)

    Event Date:
    Event

    Six months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria battered Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. territories continue to struggle with crippled infrastructure, faltering economies and an exodus of their populations to the continental U.S.  On Monday, March 19, 2018, the Kaiser Family Foundation held a public briefing to examine the status of the recovery on the islands, with a focus on how their health care systems are doing and the likely impact of…

  • If Health Insurance Subsidies Are Struck Down, States Will Need Time

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman explores a practical timetable for state action if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in King V. Burwell and ponders what Republicans in Congress might do.

  • Poll: Survey of the Non-Group Market Finds Most Say the Individual Mandate Was Not a Major Reason They Got Coverage in 2018, And Most Plan to Continue Buying Insurance Despite Recent Repeal of the Mandate Penalty 

    News Release

    Very Few Say They Would Want to Purchase a Short-Term Plan, A Regulation Being Drafted By The Trump Administration Nine in 10 enrollees in the non-group market say they intend to continue buying their own insurance even after being told that Congress has repealed the individual mandate penalty for not having coverage as of 2019, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey finds the mandate, part of the Affordable Care…

  • Which Path for Health-Care Politics in 2015?

    News Release

    In his first 2015 column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman explains why this year, status quo for the Affordable Care Act is not an option and how the Supreme Court rules in King v. Burwell will determine its path. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online.

  • 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.