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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341-350 of 1,313 results

  • Participation in Welfare and Medicaid Enrollment

    Other Post

    Part 2 In addition to the state exit studies,24 another source of evidence about the impacts of loss of cash assistance can be found in the set of evaluations of the impacts of welfare-work initiatives. Several program evaluations contain data which may suggest that one unintended consequence of state efforts to increase employment among families receiving assistance could be a decline in health care coverage: The National JOBS Program Evaluation measured the impacts of employment…

  • Changes in Insurance Coverage: 1994-2000 and Beyond

    Report

    This background report explores the insurance trends for the latter half of the 1990s and examines why the number of uninsured nonelderly Americans fell in 2000 for the second straight year. Some of the key findings include: -- Between 1999 and 2000, the number of uninsured declined by 570,000; uninsured children actually declined by 700,000 while the number of uninsured adults increased by 130,000. Expansions in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)…

  • Health Issues in the 2000 Presidential Election

    Other Post

    A Comparison of Proposals This report presents basic, nonpartisan information to help readers compare the leading presidential candidates' proposals on health care issues, including health coverage for the uninsured, managed care and patients' rights, Medicare reform, prescription drug coverage for seniors, and long-term care. Part of a joint effort of the League of Women Voters and the Kaiser Family Foundation to educate and engage the public on key health policy issues, this side-by-side comparison is…

  • Changes in Employees’ Health Insurance Coverage, 2001-2005

    Issue Brief

    This paper examines the underlying reasons behind the decline in employer coverage among employees from 2001 to 2005. The paper finds that almost half of the decline in employer-sponsored coverage was due to a loss of employer sponsorship. Another quarter of the decline was due to lost eligibility for benefits or losing access as a dependent of another employee. The remaining quarter of the decline was due to employees not participating in the offer of…

  • Webinar: Health Policy Provisions of ARRA

    Other Post

    The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Conference of State Legislatures co-sponsored a webinar, or interactive Web-based seminar, that examined key health policy aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The webinar for state legislative health chairs provided an overview of the stimulus law with a focus on provisions dealing with Medicaid, COBRA and health information technology. Webinar

  • Changes in Health Care Coverage 2000-2001

    Report

    This background report analyzes 2001 U.S. Census Bureau data on health coverage to determine the trends that led to 1.4 million people losing health coverage from 2000 to 2001. Report

  • Assessing the Role of Recent Waivers in Providing New Coverage

    Issue Brief

    This analysis finds that recent waivers have expanded coverage in important ways in a few states, but, overall, the number of people who have gained new coverage under recent waivers has been quite limited, well below projections and small compared to overall growth in Medicaid enrollment. Issue Paper (.pdf)