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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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  • Behind the Challenges to Universal Health Coverage

    From Drew Altman

    In this column for The Wall Street Journal's Think Tank, Drew Altman discusses why political reality and the diverse makeup of the remaining uninsured population mean that the likeliest path to universal coverage is a multi-step approach.

  • Access to Care for the Insured and Remaining Uninsured: A Look at California During Year One of ACA Implementation

    Issue Brief

    California is a bellwether state for understanding the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Much attention has been paid to enrollment in California's new coverage options, such as the Medicaid expansion (Medi-Cal) and plans sold through ACA marketplaces (Covered California), and to changes in the uninsured from 2013 to 2014. However, less is known about how this coverage has affected people’s access to care and financial security, and why others remain uninsured. This report,…

  • 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…

  • A Forum on the Implications of Changes in the Health Care Environment for Native American Health Care

    Report

    With the assistance of the First Nations Development Institute, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation commissioned several studies of critical issues in Native-American health care. These studies examined the trends shaping the future of Native-American health care; the existing health systems and planning capacity in the Native-American health care system; the changes occurring in the IHS; the role of Medicaid in Native-American health care; the attitudes and preferences of Native American health care consumers; and…

  • Keeping Medicare and Medicaid When You Work, 2005: A Resource Guide for People with Disabilities, Their Families, and Their Advocates

    Report

    This guide helps to explain the program rules for Medicare and Medicaid with regard to work. Medicare and Medicaid have come to play important roles in the lives and the futures of roughly 20 million children, adults, and seniors with disabilities - and this guide gives people with disabilities new information to help them get the most from these programs. Full PDF Report Section 1: Protecting Health Coverage For People With Disabilities Who Work HTML…

  • Highlights of Kaiser Family Foundation Resources on the Uninsured

    Poll Finding

    With the upcoming U.S. Census Bureau release of 2007 health insurance coverage data, the Foundation has compiled some key resources about the nation’s uninsured population and related health policy issues. Key Resources Five Basic Facts on the Uninsured The Uninsured: A Primer Health Insurance Coverage in America Chartbook, 2006 States Moving Toward Comprehensive Health Care Reform – Interactive Map 2008 Presidential Candidate Health Care Proposals: Side-by-Side Summary Separating the Forest from the Trees in the…

  • Survey of People with Disabilities

    Poll Finding

    People with disabilities are at risk in the health-care system because of their wide-ranging health-care needs, their relatively heavy use of prescription drugs, health-care and support services, and typically low incomes. A new survey of people with permanent mental and/or physical disabilities explores their health-care experiences and challenges in accessing and paying for care. This chartpack contains the briefing materials from the event held to release the survey. Chart Pack (.pdf)

  • Toplines: The Public’s Health Care Agenda

    Poll Finding

    These toplines provide the complete survey questions and findings from The Public’s Health Care Agenda for the New Congress and Presidential Campaign, conducted jointly by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health between November 9 and 19, 2006. The survey looks at the public’s priorities and views on health issues as a new Democratic majority takes the leadership of Congress and as the 2008 presidential campaign begins to take shape. It…

  • Millions of Uninsured People Can Get Free ACA Plans

    Policy Watch

    This post estimates that about 5 million uninsured people across the country could get coverage through an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace health plan with virtually no monthly premium if they enroll during the 2023 open enrollment period, which runs through Jan. 15 in most states.

  • Public Subsidies and Private Markets: Coverage Expansions in the Current Insurance Environment

    Report

    Many proposals for incremental expansion of health insurance coverage would provide subsidies for the purchase of nongroup policies. This paper assesses how subsidy options might play out in regulated or unregulated markets and explores the possible trade-off between two distinct policy goals: maximizing the absolute number of families with insurance or maximizing access for the highest-risk families. This paper is part of the Kaiser Incremental Health Reform Project. Issue Paper