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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281 - 290 of 1,312 Results

  • How the Midterms Factor Into Medicaid Expansion

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses how Democratic victories in several close gubernatorial races on Tuesday could revive efforts to expand Medicaid.

  • Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: October 2014

    Feature

    In the final Kaiser Health Tracking Poll before the 2014 midterm elections in November, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to be just one of several issues on voters’ minds. Less than 1 in 10 registered voters identify the ACA as the most important issue to their vote, ranking behind the economy, dissatisfaction with government, education and the situation in Iraq and Syria. With the ACA’s second open enrollment period approaching, the poll also finds…

  • Nine in Ten Uninsured Unaware that the Affordable Care Act’s Second Open Enrollment Period Starts in November

    News Release

    Most of Those Without Health Coverage Report Knowing Little or Nothing About the Insurance Marketplaces or About the Financial Assistance Available to Low- and Moderate-Income Families Broader Public Opinion on the Law Still Tilts Unfavorably, Though Gap Has Narrowed Since July and Returned to Pre-Rollout Levels With the second annual open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act set to begin Nov. 15, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll finds major gaps in the…

  • Challenges for the Next Obamacare Open Enrollment

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman pinpoints the Affordable Care Act’s five biggest challenges heading into the second open enrollment period.

  • Report Provides Insights from Consumer Assisters on Improving Affordable Care Act’s Next Open Enrollment

    News Release

    A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation captures insights from those who helped consumers navigate the Affordable Care Act's first open enrollment period, including lessons for the second , which is set to start Nov. 15. “Taking Stock and Taking Steps: A Report from the Field after the First Year of Marketplace Consumer Assistance Under the ACA” draws on the experiences of 80 program leaders who participated in a…

  • Taking Stock and Taking Steps: A Report from the Field after the First Year of Marketplace Consumer Assistance under the ACA

    Report

    This report summarizes experiences of Marketplace assistance programs as they helped consumers enroll in coverage during the first Open Enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act. Insights about what worked and where improvements could help are drawn from discussions of assisters and other experts who participated in a Consumer Assistance Roundtable, jointly sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in June, 2014.

  • An Overview of Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Waivers

    Issue Brief

    This brief will examine similarities and difference across key elements of DSRIP waivers. The states included in this analysis are: California, Texas, Kansas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York. The key elements of DSRIP initiatives that will be explored in this analysis include: the goals and objectives of the DSRIP initiative; eligible providers; projects and organization; allocation of funds; data collection and evaluation/reporting; and financing of DSRIP waivers.

  • Connecting Consumers to Coverage: Lessons Learned from Assisters for Successful Outreach and Enrollment

    Issue Brief

    This brief highlights the experiences of Navigators and other Marketplace consumer assistance programs under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in conducting outreach and providing enrollment assistance during the ACA's first open enrollment period. It provides insight into the outreach and enrollment strategies the assisters developed and identifies the keys to successfully overcoming the challenges of the first year. These insights are based on findings from focus groups with assisters in four cities: Miami, Florida; Houston,…

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

    Fact Sheet

    This state report explains how the ACA expands coverage in Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania are eligible for Medicaid or financial assistance in…