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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1,261 - 1,270 of 1,309 Results

  • The Louisiana Health Care Landscape

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet provides an overview of resident socio-demographic characteristics, population health, health coverage, and the health care delivery system in Louisiana both pre-Hurricane Katrina and in the era of health reform.

  • A Final Look: California’s Previously Uninsured after the ACA’s Third Open Enrollment Period

    Report

    The Kaiser Family Foundation California Longitudinal Panel Survey is a series of surveys that, over time, tracked the experiences and views of a representative, randomly selected sample of Californians who were uninsured prior to the major coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The initial baseline survey was conducted with a representative sample of 2,001 nonelderly uninsured Californian adults in summer 2013, prior to the ACA’s initial open enrollment period. After each enrollment period…

  • New Survey Finds 72% of Previously Uninsured Californians Now Have Coverage, Including 78% of Those Eligible for New Affordable Care Act Options

    News Release

    For Remaining Uninsured Residents, Cost and Immigration Status Are Main Obstacles Three years after the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions were fully implemented in California, nearly three quarters (72%) of the state’s previously uninsured residents now have health coverage, finds the fourth Kaiser Family Foundation Longitudinal Panel Survey, which is tracking the experiences of a randomly selected group of Californian adults who were uninsured in 2013. This is similar to the share who reported having insurance…

  • KFF Survey of Medicaid Unwinding

    Poll Finding

    KFF's survey examines adults who had Medicaid coverage in early 2023, just before states resumed eligibility checks and disenrollments after pandemic-era protections ended. Nearly a quarter (23%) of adults who say they were disenrolled from Medicaid since early 2023 report being uninsured now. Overall, 19% of adults who had Medicaid prior to the start of unwinding say they were disenrolled at some point in the past year.

  • The Uninsured Population and Health Coverage

    Feature

    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. Economic conditions, federal and state policy decisions, and major health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic influence the uninsured rate. While implementation of the Affordable Care Act, namely the expansion of Medicaid and availability of subsidized Marketplace coverage, led to a drop in the share of…

  • Where ACA Marketplace Enrollment is Growing the Fastest, and Why

    Policy Watch

    In 2024, Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace enrollment hit a new record high, reaching over 21 million people. This policy watch discusses the the factors contributing to the increased enrollment in the fastest growing marketplaces.

  • Visualizing Health Policy: Health Care Coverage and Access for Men, 2013-2015

    News Release

    This Visualizing Health Policy infographic provides a snapshot of men’s health care and insurance coverage issues, including health status, access to care and use of services. It compares the uninsured rates of men and women, their cost barriers to care, their connection to clinicians, and their use of prescription drugs, screening, and counseling services. Fewer men than women gained coverage between October 2013 and March 2015, and the uninsured rate continues to be higher for…

  • 2015 Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs and Brokers

    Report

    This nationwide survey analysis of Marketplace consumer assistance programs and brokers examines the nature of Marketplace assistance during the second open enrollment period for 2015 coverage, and offers unique insights into how Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation is progressing, what is changing, and what challenges remain. Building upon our Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs (2014), the analysis compares Assister Program capacity and experiences from the first open enrollment period to the next, and…

  • The Uninsured and the ACA: A Primer – Key Facts about Health Insurance and the Uninsured amidst Changes to the Affordable Care Act

    Report

    The Uninsured and the ACA: A Primer provides information on how insurance has changed under the ACA and more recent policy changes, how many people remain uninsured, who they are, and why they lack health coverage. It also summarizes what we know about the impact that a lack of insurance can have on the health outcomes and personal finances and the difference health insurance can make in people’s lives.