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.

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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151 - 160 of 1,309 Results

  • Holding Steady, Looking Ahead: Annual Findings Of A 50-State Survey Of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, And Cost Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP, 2010-2011

    Report

    The annual 50-state survey of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility rules, enrollment and renewal procedures and cost sharing practices, conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, found that, in 2010, coverage in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program remained strong with some improvements, particularly for low-income children. However, eligibility for their parents and other low-income adults continued to lag behind. The survey also…

  • The President’s FY 2005 Budget Proposal:  Overview and Briefing Charts

    Report

    The President's FY 2005 Budget Proposal: Overview and Briefing Charts The overview and briefing charts present information on the President's FY 2005 budget proposal to Congress beginning with federal surplus/deficit spending historical data and a summary of the overall composition of the Administration's budget request. The charts then detail information on the President's funding proposals for major health programs. Overview & Briefing Charts (.pdf)

  • Key Findings: Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — August 2009

    Poll Finding

    This document contains the key findings from the August Health Tracking Poll. The survey was designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and was conducted August 4 through August 11, 2009, among a nationally representative random sample of 1,203 adults ages 18 and older. Telephone interviews conducted by landline (801) and cell phone (402, including 123 who had no landline telephone) were carried out in English and Spanish. The margin…

  • How Will the Uninsured in Arkansas Fare Under the Affordable Care Act?

    Fact Sheet

    This state report explains how the ACA expands coverage in Arkansas, including a breakdown of how many uninsured people are eligible for Medicaid, how many are eligible for financial assistance to help them buy private insurance in the new Marketplace and how many will not receive any financial assistance at all. The report also details, in specific dollar figures, the income levels at which people in Arkansas are eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance in…

  • How Will the Uninsured in Idaho Fare Under the Affordable Care Act?

    Fact Sheet

    This state report explains how the ACA expands coverage in Idaho, including a breakdown of how many uninsured people are eligible for Medicaid, how many are eligible for financial assistance to help them buy private insurance in the new Marketplace and how many will not receive any financial assistance at all. The report also details, in specific dollar figures, the income levels at which people in Idaho are eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance in…

  • The Growth of Managed Care: Are Women Getting What They Need?

    Fact Sheet

    How the Changing Health Care Marketplace Affects Coverage and Access to Reproductive Health A fact sheet, Q&A and resource list prepared for a media briefing held in New York on March 27, 1996. The purpose of the briefing was to respond to questions about how reproductive health services are currently delivered in managed care systems and to explore the implications of the growing managed care environment for women's ability to get the reproductive health care…

  • Survey: Assisters Help Estimated 5.3 Million During 2016 ACA Open Enrollment, Down 10 Percent from Prior Year

    News Release

    During the third Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, assistance programs helped an estimated 5.3 million people -- a number that was 10 percent lower than the prior year and that included a higher share of people renewing coverage, finds a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey of assister programs and brokers. Both assisters and brokers report a shift toward more return customers among those who sought assistance during the 2016 ACA open enrollment period, which…

  • Drew Altman: Amid Tensions, Legal Immigrants Fear Signing Up for Obamacare

    News Release

    In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses new Kaiser Family Foundation survey findings about how fear of enforcement of immigration laws may be affecting Latino enrollment in the Affordable Care Act. All previous columns by Drew Altman are available online. 

  • The Twin Goals of Health Insurance

    From Drew Altman

    Drew Altman, in The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, examines a study finding Massachusetts' health reform saved lives in the context of health insurance's twin goal: better access to improve health and economic security.

  • Kaiser Family Foundation/Field Institute Survey of Californians on the Health Care Initiatives, Propositions 214 and 216 – Toplines/Survey

    Other Post

    Kaiser Family Foundation/Field Institute survey of Californians on the Health Care Initiatives, Propositions 214 and 216 August 14-21, 1996 September 23-30, 1996 Questionnaire and Toplines 1. Are you currently covered by medical insurance or some other form of government or private health plan that will pay all or part of your doctor bills or hospitalization should you require it? August 1996 September 1996 Yes, covered 81% 82% No, not covered 19% 18% Don't know *…