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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1,281-1,290 of 1,314 results

  • Hearing Their Voices: Lessons from the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act (BCCPTA)

    Report

        In 2000, Congress passed a landmark law that gave states the option of extending Medicaid coverage to certain low-income women with breast or cervical cancer. In California, approximately 10,000 women have been assisted by this program. This policy brief, "Hearing Their Voices: Lessons from the Breast and Cervical Caner Prevention and Treatment Act (BCCPTA)," reports on the impact of this program on low-income women in California, using focus group analysis. The report was…

  • Health Care Agenda for the New Congress – Chartpack

    Poll Finding

    This chartpack provides key findings from the survey of the public's attitudes regarding the health care agenda for Bush's second term and the new Congress in 2005. It assesses the relative priority placed on health-care concerns by the American public and also provides insight into public opinion on key issues likely to face the new Congress, such as implementing the Medicare drug law, controlling health care costs, reducing the nation’s uninsured population and reforming the…

  • March 30, 2006 Policy Forum to Release the National ADAP Monitoring Report

    Event Date:
    Event

    The National ADAP Monitoring Report provides the latest data on state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). ADAPs, authorized under Title II of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, provide HIV/AIDS-related prescription drugs to uninsured and underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS. ADAPs operate in 57 U.S. states, territories, and associated jurisdictions. The report, the tenth in an annual series, was prepared by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Alliance of State and…

  • NPR/Kaiser/Harvard Survey: The Public on Requiring Individuals to Have Health Insurance – Summary and Chartpack

    Poll Finding

    This summary and chartpack provides an overview of the results from a February 2008 survey conducted jointly by NPR and public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health that examines how the public views different approaches for expanding health coverage, including provisions that would require individuals to purchase insurance or parents to obtain coverage for their children. A nationally representative sample of 1,704 adults participated in telephone interviews…

  • Health Care Affordability and the Uninsured

    Event

    Diane Rowland testified at a hearing on the instability of health coverage before the Health Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. Her testimony discussed the growing share of Americans who are uninsured and without adequate health insurance coverage and highlighted the key characteristics and issues with regard to the uninsured as well as the financial burdens for medical care faced by America's families. Testimony (.pdf)

  • Pulling It Together: Perspectives on State Health Reform

    Perspective

    This Pulling It Together column is the fourth in my new series. All four so far have dealt with different dimensions of health reform. This time I write about one of my favorite topics, the states. As a former head of an umbrella health and social services agency in a big state responsible for about a third of a state budget and workforce, I have a deep appreciation for state government. It's a level of…

  • Uninsured Young Adults: A Profile and Overview of Coverage Options

    Issue Brief

    Young adults, age 19-29, have the highest uninsured rate of any age group. Since 29% of the uninsured are young adults, efforts to decrease the overall number of uninsured must address this population. This brief examines health coverage for young adults, as well as their health status, access to care, and the financial burdens they encounter when paying for care. It also provides an overview of public and private approaches to expand health coverage for…

  • New Option for States to Provide Federally Funded Medicaid and CHIP Coverage to Additional Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet provides state-level data from a Kaiser survey that found that a large number of states are using state funds to provide health coverage to legal immigrant children and pregnant women through Medicaid, CHIP or another state program. Under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, states now have the option to provide federally matched Medicaid or CHIP to some or all of the legal immigrants they have been covering solely…

  • Chartpack: Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — July 2009

    Poll Finding

    This document contains the chartpack from the July Health Tracking Poll. The survey was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and was conducted July 7 through July 14, 2009, among a nationally representative random sample of 1,205 adults ages 18 and older. Telephone interviews conducted by landline (800) and cell phone (405, including 126 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish. The margin of…

  • Individuals with Special Needs and Health Reform: Adequacy of Health Insurance Coverage

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief examines the health care needs and health costs of individuals with special health challenges, focusing on those with low-to-moderate incomes. It finds that even under a benefit package more generous than most offered in the private insurance market, individuals and families can face significant gaps in coverage and large out-of-pocket costs, especially if they have serious health conditions. The findings have implications for the health reform debate as policymakers consider minimum standards…