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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271-280 of 1,313 results

  • The Uninsured And The Difference Health Insurance Makes

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet describes the characteristics of the uninsured and explains the recent increase in this population. It also examines the difference that health insurance can make and how health reform is expected to cover millions more people.

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

    Other Post

    This June 2015 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 before and after coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act; their cost barriers to care, their connection to clinicians, and their use of prescription drugs, screening, and counseling services.

  • Briefing: Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment in 2016, and a Look Ahead: Findings from a 50-State Survey

    Event Date:
    Event

    At 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, January 21, the Kaiser Family Foundation hosted a public briefing to present findings from our 14th annual 50-state survey of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, enrollment, renewal, and cost-sharing policies. The survey, conducted by the Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) and Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, provides new data on states’ Medicaid eligibility and enrollment policies, which have undergone significant change in the two…

  • Addressing Health and Social Needs of California’s Immigrant Families: Lessons Learned from Local Responses and Future Priorities

    Event Date:
    Event

    A flurry of federal activity on immigration rules and policies is affecting health care and coverage for both lawfully residing immigrants and undocumented immigrants in the country, ranging from deportation policies, a revised “public charge” rule, and a new proclamation from President Trump requiring health insurance for entry via immigrant visas. California has the largest share of immigrants among its population, and has been at the forefront of current policy debates, including moving forward on…

  • Medicaid and Children: Overcoming Barriers to Enrollment

    Report

    Findings from a National Survey This national telephone survey of low-income parents represents a major effort to better understand the barriers to Medicaid enrollment and to test the usefulness of ideas to facilitate enrollment in a quantitative way. Examining both parents of uninsured children who appear eligible for Medicaid and parents with children currently enrolled in Medicaid, the survey findings present: a profile of low-income, Medicaid-eligible children; parents' Medicaid knowledge and perceptions; key barriers to…

  • Survey of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees

    Report

    To give voice to people whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing floods, The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a unique survey of evacuees in shelters in the Houston area. The provides information on evacuees' lives before the hurricane and inside Houston area shelters, as well as their plans for the future. The survey also includes a number of health-related questions, including…

  • Fact Sheets Summarize President’s Budget Proposals for Health Insurance Coverage, Including Medicaid and SCHIP

    Fact Sheet

    Fact Sheets Summarize President's Budget Proposals for Health Insurance Coverage, Including Medicaid and SCHIP The President's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal includes changes to Medicaid, provisions for the reauthorization of SCHIP, and the health coverage initiative, Affordable Choices. These fact sheets provide an overview of President Bush's policy plans on these health coverage issues. The Affordable Choices Initiative: An Overview President's FY2008 Budget and The State Children's Health Insurance Program President's FY 2008 Budget and…

  • More Than 6 in 10 of the Remaining 27.4 Million Uninsured People in the U.S. are Eligible for Subsidized ACA Marketplace Coverage, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program

    News Release

    Recent policy attention has focused on efforts to reduce the number of uninsured people in the U.S. by expanding eligibility for coverage assistance, including enhanced premium subsidies in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace and filling the Medicaid “coverage gap.” A new KFF analysis shows that a majority of the 27.4 million people who remained uninsured in 2020 already are eligible for financial assistance for coverage through Medicaid/CHIP or the Marketplace, suggesting that policies in…