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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  • The New American Electorate and Health Reform

    Poll Finding

    An analysis of the electorate and health reform that considers how American voters' values influenced their support or opposition toward health reform proposals and how those attitudes shifted over the course of the debate.

  • Managed Care and Low-Income Populations: A Case Study of Managed Care in Tennessee

    Report

    TennCare represents one of the most ambitious state-level efforts to restructure Medicaid and expand insurance coverage to the uninsured. The case study shows that the rapid change caused considerable confusion for patients, providers, and health plans. The TennCare experience provides early insights into the issues that states will face as they move to enroll more of their low-income populations into managed care arrangements.

  • Managed Care And Low-Income Populations: A Case Study of Managed Care in Oregon

    Report

    To gather early insights and timely information for state and federal policymakers concerning how the movement to managed care is affecting the poor and their access to care, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and The Commonwealth Fund are jointly sponsoring case studies and population surveys in California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. This case study describes the first year's experience of Oregon's Initiative, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). It is designed to furnish…

  • National Election Night Survey of Voters, 1994

    Poll Finding

    Among Issues, Voters See Health Reform As Top Priority for New Congress But Reject Major Overhaul of System For More Modest Approach Embargoed for release: 12:00 p.m. EST Tuesday, November 15, 1994 For further information contact: Matt James or Tina Hoff National Election Night Survey Also Finds: Voters Support Spending Cuts to Reduce Deficit in Theory, But Not in Practice When Specific Budget Areas Are Proposed Menlo Park, CA -- A Kaiser/Harvard election night survey…

  • Medicare: Holes in the Safety Net

    Other Post

    Medicare: Holes in the Safety Net This report discusses findings from focus groups that consisted of those individuals who interact with the Medicare program, including beneficiaries, health professionals, caretakers, and program management staff. A press release summarizing the findings of 15 focus groups conducted nationwide on public attitudes toward and understanding of the Medicare system in the United States is available. Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a few copies may still…

  • Statewide Surveys of Californians on Public Attitudes Toward the Single Payer Ballot Initiatives (Proposition 186)

    Other Post

    California Election Night Survey On Ballot Initiatives Anti-government Mood Defeats Proposition 186 A Perception That Undocumented Persons Use Costly Services Drives Vote For Proposition 187 Embargoed for release: 12:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 15, 1994 For more information contact: Matt James or Tina Hoff Menlo Park, CA -- A Kaiser/Harvard survey of Californians in the 1994 election has found that the principal reason voters rejected Proposition 186, the state single payer initiative, was their concern…

  • Warning: Inadequate Low-Income Subsidy Design Can Cause Problems for Health Care Reform

    Other Post

    Warning: Inadequate Low-Income Subsidy Design Can Cause Problems for Health Care Reform This report examines potential adverse consequences of low-income subsidy systems contained in the leading health care reform approaches including: work disincentives as a result of high marginal taxrates; employer incentives to drop coverage; and loss of coverage due to budgetary control mechanisms. Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a copy may still exist in the Foundation's internal library that could…

  • Health Care Reform: The Long Term Care Factor

    Other Post

    Health Care Reform: The Long Term Care Factor Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a copy may still exist in the Foundation's internal library that could be reproduced. Please email order@kff.org if you would like to pursue this option.

  • Designing Health Purchasing Alliances/Cooperatives: Federal Policy Issues and Options

    Other Post

    A comparison of the key features of alliance design in the Clinton, Chafee/Thomas, and Cooper/Breaux health reform proposals of 1994, examining the trade-offs inherent in alternative alliance design.(For more information about alliances, see #2063, Permitting Voluntary Enrollment in Regional Alliances Under the Health Security Act: The Impact on Spending for Employers and the Federal Government.) Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a copy may still exist in the Foundation's internal library that…

  • Health Care Reform: Issues Relating to Managed Care

    Other Post

    Health Care Reform: Issues Relating to Managed Care Note: This publication is no longer in circulation. However, a copy may still exist in the Foundation's internal library that could be reproduced. Please email order@kff.org if you would like to pursue this option.