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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221-230 of 1,316 results

  • Nonelderly Uninsured by Race/ Ethnicity, 2011

    Feature

    Nonelderly Uninsured by Race/ Ethnicity, 2011 Download Source Urban Institute and KCMU estimates based on the Census Bureau's March 2012 Current Population Survey  Annual Social and Economic Supplement.  

  • Reversing the Trend? Understanding the Recent Increase in Health Insurance Coverage among the Nonelderly Population

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines why the number of nonelderly uninsured people in the U.S. declined by 1.2 million in 2011, the latest year for which Census data are available. The analysis finds that the decrease – a reversal of the rise in the uninsured in previous years stemming from the recent recession – was the result of an increase in coverage through public programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Most of the…

  • The Health-Care Enrollment Story Is in the States

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman examines the variation among states beneath the national Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace enrollment numbers released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Visualizing Health Policy: Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act

    Other Post

    The March 2013 Visualizing Health Policy infographic looks at how expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will impact low-income and uninsured people, and how these groups will be affected in states that do not expand the program. See the full-size infographic at The Journal of the American Medical Association View the related Slideshow Visualizing Health Policy is a monthly infographic series produced in partnership with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Each month’s infographic…

  • Share of Women Age 18-44 Who Are Uninsured, by State, 2011-2013

    Feature

    Share of Women Age 18-44 Who Are Uninsured, 18-44, by State Download Source State-level figures based on Urban Institute and Kaiser Family Foundation estimates of pooled 2012 and 2013 Current Population Surveys, U.S. Bureau of the Census.