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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
Other key facts about the uninsured >>

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  • Toplines: National Survey of Households Affected by Cancer

    Poll Finding

        These toplines provide the complete survey questions and findings from the National Survey of Households Affected by Cancer conducted jointly by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health by telephone between Aug. 1 and Sept. 14, 2006. The survey provides an in-depth look at how families cope with cancer, and in particular, examines problems of health insurance and health care costs through the lens of those who…

  • Health Coverage and Access Challenges for Low-Income Women

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief examines low-income women’s health insurance coverage, experience with health plans and providers, and access to care. The analysis is based on data from the 2001 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey, a nationally representative survey of nearly 4,000 women between the ages of 18 and 64. Issue Brief (.pdf)

  • Incrementalism: Ethical Implications of Policy Choices

    Report

    This paper discusses ethical issues in incremental approaches to expanding health insurance coverage. Although any reduction in the number of uninsured is morally desirable, there are real moral differences between different policy options. This paper, which is part of the Kaiser Incremental Health Reform Project, examines these moral differences by identifying the values and commitments that ground the different policy options. Issue Paper

  • Subsidizing COBRA: An Option for Expanding Health Insurance Coverage

    Report

    This paper examines a method for making health insurance more affordable to people who may lose health insurance when they lose or change jobs. A proposal for subsidizing the purchase of group health insurance through COBRA for employees and their dependents who lose their health insurance coverage when the employee leaves a job that provides such coverage. This paper is part of the Kaise Incremental Health Reform Project. Issue Paper

  • Covering the Uninsured: Options for Reform

    Issue Brief

    Download PDF Key Facts on the Uninsured In 2007, 45 million nonelderly people in the United States lacked health coverage More than eight in ten uninsured people (81%) come from working families About two-thirds of the nonelderly uninsured are from low-income families (income below 200% of poverty, about $42,400 for a family of 4 in 2007) More than one in three people (35%) living in poverty are uninsured, compared with one in twenty people (5%)…

  • Optimizing Medicaid Enrollment: Spotlight on Technology – Oklahoma’s Automatic Newborn Enrollment System

    Issue Brief

    This brief examines Oklahoma's web-based system for automatically enrolling in its Medicaid program, SoonerCare, and provides an overview of the state's more recent implementation of an online SoonerCare application for children and families, pregnant women, and other adults. It is the fourth brief in a Spotlight on Technology series profiling several states' innovative applications of technology to Medicaid enrollment efforts. The series illustrates a range of approaches that states can adopt to improve their systems…