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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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  • Key Facts: Women and HIV/AIDS

    Report

    Women comprise a growing share of new cases of AIDS in the United States. In 1986, women only represented 7% of new cases of AIDS. By 1999 that share had risen to nearly one quarter. Not only do women represent an increasing share of persons with AIDS, today they represent 30 percent of new HIV infections. Women of color, particularly African Americans, have been hardest hit among women. This report provides an overview of the…

  • Impact of Potential Changes to ERISA: Litigation and Appeals Experience of CalPERS, Other Large Public Employers and a Large California Health Plan

    Report

    The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) currently preempts state law related to the wrongful denial or delay of health benefits to the extent that such laws relate to a health benefit plan sponsored by a private employer. This report examines the frequency, nature and costs associated with the appeals and litigation that state and local governmental employers have experienced. Information was gathered through multiple telephone interviews with individuals with extensive involvement in administrative appeals…

  • Participation in Welfare and Medicaid Enrollment – Issue Paper

    Report

    Participation in Welfare and Medicaid Enrollment September 1998 The number of families receiving cash assistance through Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programs has decreased dramatically in recent years. From March 1994 to March 1998, caseloads fell by 35%, declining from 5 million to 3.2 million families. Recent data also indicates that there has been a decline in Medicaid enrollment. Although the decline is small in comparison…

  • National Survey on Medicare: The Next Big Health Policy Debate? – News Release

    Other Post

    National Survey Suggests Need for Broad Public Debate About Medicare Reform:Americans Know Medicare Faces Problems, But Not Ready To Make Hard Choices Future Options Not Well UnderstoodFew Know About Medicare+Choice Embargoed For Release Until: Noon, Tuesday, October 20, 1998 For further information contact: Matt James or Tina Hoff (650) 854-9400 or Sara Knoll (202) 347-5270 Washington, DC - A new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health highlights the challenges…

  • Native Americans and Medicaid: Coverage and Financing Issues

    Other Post

    Native Americans and Medicaid:Coverage and Financing Issues Medicaid as Medicare Premium Assistance The Medicare program provides health insurance coverage for the nation's elderly and disabled.16 To enroll in Medicare Part B, which offers coverage for physician and other outpatient care, individuals must be 65 or older or must be disabled, and must pay a monthly premium. This monthly premium, which is generally deducted from an individual's Social Security check, is $43.80 per month in 1997.…

  • Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population At Risk – Findings from the Kaiser/Commonwealth 1997 Survey of Medicare Beneficiaries

    Other Post

    Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population at RiskFindings from the Kaiser/Commonwealth Fund 1997 Survey of Medicare Beneficiaries Charts for Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population at Risk Part 2 Cathy Schoen, Patricia Neuman, Michelle Kitchman, Karen Davis, and Diane RowlandDecember 1998 Table Of Contents List of Charts Chart 16 Problems Paying Medical Bills, by Health and Functional Status Chart 17 Medicare Beneficiaries Experiencing Access or Cost Difficulties, by Poverty Status, Health Status, Age Group, and Functional Status Chart 18…

  • An Assessment of Strategies for Expanding Health Insurance Coverage

    Report

    This paper provides a conceptual analysis of alternative mechanisms (tax credits, public programs, and direct subsidies) for expanding health insurance coverage. The paper, which is part of the Kaiser Incremental Health Reform Project, discusses the likely impacts alternative approaches on a variety of outcomes including efficiency in increasing coverage and integration with existing insurance systems. Issue Paper Report:

  • Extending Health Insurance Through Tax Credits

    Report

    Part of the Kaiser Incremental Health Reform Project, this paper describes a generous tax credit approach to the expansion of health insurance coverage. The design features of refundable, publicly-financed tax credits for the purchase of health insurance are described for a range of sample plans. Issue Paper

  • Uninsured Children in the South

    Other Post

    Over 4 million Southern Children have no Health Insurance Embargoed for release until: 8:30 am, ET, Monday, December 9, 1996 For more information contact: Chris Ferris (202)347-5270 New Study: Despite Recent Gains, South Still Home to Disproportionate Share ofNation's Uninsured Children Washington, D.C. -- A new report, sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and prepared by the Southern Institute on Children and Families, finds that the South was home to 4.1 million uninsured children in…