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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.

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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  • Online Tools for Consumer-Directed Health Plans

    Event Date:
    Event

    On Jan. 25, 2005, Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a demonstration of the online tools made available to enrollees in consumer-directed health plans. Executives from Humana and Lumenos -- two major firms in the consumer-directed care market -- conducted real-time demonstrations of their consumer web tools to show how enrollees might manage the costs and quality of their care. Consumer-directed, or consumer-driven, health plans are intended to give enrollees a financial stake in their health care…

  • Medicare+Choice Withdrawals: Understanding Key Factors

    Report

    To help understand why M+C plans have exited or limited their participation in the M+C program in recent years, this report presents an empirical analysis of the factors associated with plan withdrawals between 1999 and 2001. This analysis explores factors such as M+C payment levels, local market characteristics, and individual health plan characteristics to help predict plan withdrawals and draw inferences about the types of plans and markets that have been most adversely affected. Report

  • The New Middle-Class of Uninsured Americans — Is it Real?

    Report

    This issue paper discusses and answers the question are the newly uninsured in 2001 predominantly from the middle-class. The paper examines U.S. Census Bureau s data and concludes that most of the increase in the uninsured (1.3 million people) was among low-income people with incomes less than 200% of the poverty level. Issue Paper

  • How Race/Ethnicity, Immigration Status, and Language Affect Health Insurance Coverage, Access to and Quality of Care Among the Low-Income Population

    Report

    This report examines the roles that race, language and citizenship status play in insurance coverage, access to health care and quality of health care, particularly for the low-income Latino population. The findings demonstrates that citizenship status and language proficiency have a significant impact on insurance coverage, access to care and the quality of care received among the low-income population. Report (.pdf)

  • Health Care One Year After Hurricane Katrina

    Event Date:
    Event

    Health Care One Year After Hurricane Katrina Extended interviews with survivors and a related film, "Voices of the Storm: Health Care After Katrina," are available below. August 29, 2006, marks the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's catastrophic landfall. The Kaiser Family Foundation continues its commitment to help respond to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina with new resources about the health care impact of Katrina's aftermath. At a forum held on August 8, the Foundation released…

  • How Are Safety Net Hospitals Responding to Health Care Financing Changes?

    Report

    A new background report sums up how multiple trends have led to a situation where safety net hospitals are feeling more financial pressure and are challenged to subsidize the unprofitable care of theuninsured. Background Paper For a more extensive discussion read our larger report from the same study.

  • Estimated Costs of Selected Consumer Protection Proposals: A Cost Analysis of the President’s Advisory Commission’s Consumer Bill of Rights

    Other Post

    Leading Health Care Consumer Protection Proposals Would Result In Modest Premium Increases for HMOS New Cost Analysis of Consumer Protections:Major Provisions of President's Consumer Bill of Rights and PARCA Estimated to Raise Premiums by Less Than 1% Embargoed for release until: 9:00 a.m., EDT, Wednesday, April 22, 1998 For further information contact:Chris Ferris (202) 347-5270or Matt James (650) 854-9400 Washington, DC - A new independent cost analysis finds that the premium increases likely to result…

  • Health Centers: An Overview and Analysis of Their Experiences With Private Health Insurance

    Report

    This policy brief provides an overview of health centers, with a special focus on the relationship between health centers and private health insurance. The analysis of 10 years of national data reveals that health centers do not receive adequate reimbursement from private insurers to cover the costs of treating commercially insured patients. The cumulative shortfalls jeopardize the ability of health centers to fulfill their mission of providing access to care for low-income patients. Issue Brief…

  • Filling an Urgent Need: Improving Children’s Access to Dental Care in Medicaid and SCHIP

    Report

    In October 2007, the Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the National Academy for State Health Policy convened a day-long meeting of policy officials and oral health experts to discuss children’s access to dental care in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and exchange information and perspectives on the strategies have worked best to improve it. This report summarizes the 15 experts recommendations on a wide assortment of effective…