Uninsured

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

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451 - 460 of 1,309 Results

  • 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.

  • Visualizing Health Policy: Understanding the Effect of Medicaid Expansion in the South

    News Release

    This Visualizing Health Policy infographic examines the effect of decisions by states in the South to implement or forgo the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. It shows that Southerners are more likely than people living in other parts of the United States to be uninsured; that most Southern states have poverty rates above the national average; that without the Medicaid expansion (which most Southern states are not implementing), Medicaid eligibility levels for adults in the…

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

    Fact Sheet

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

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

    Fact Sheet

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

  • Most Americans Report a Personal Connection to Those Who Have Abused Prescription Painkillers; Whites More Likely To Be Affected Than Blacks or Hispanics

    News Release

    Poll Finds 9% Say a Family Member or Close Friend Died of an Overdose; 27% Say Either They or Someone Close to Them Has Been Addicted On the ACA This Month, 45 Percent View the Law Unfavorably and 38 Percent View It Favorably With prescription painkiller abuse garnering more attention from the media and policymakers, the latest Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll finds most Americans have a personal connection to the issue. In total,…

  • Issue Brief Examines the Experiences of Five States During Year Two of Affordable Care Act Coverage Expansions

    News Release

    A new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation draws upon 40 in-person interviews conducted with a variety of stakeholders to assess the recent experiences of five states during the second year of coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The interviews took place in three states -- Colorado, Kentucky and Washington -- that have State-based Marketplaces, and have adopted the Medicaid expansion, and in two states -- Utah and Virginia -- that rely…

  • Amid the Coronavirus Crisis, President Trump and Democratic Nominee Joe Biden Offer Widely Different Views on Health Care

    News Release

    President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden hold widely divergent views on health issues, with the president’s record and response to the coronavirus pandemic likely to play a central role in November’s elections. A new KFF side-by-side comparison examines President Trump’s record and former Vice President Biden’s positions across a wide range of key health issues, including the response to the pandemic, the Affordable Care Act marketplace, Medicaid, Medicare, drug prices, reproductive health, HIV, mental…

  • The Language of Health Care Reform

    Perspective

    Published in the Jan. 19 edition of JAMA, this article from KFF Executive Vice President for Health Policy Larry Levitt lays out the major health policy challenges that will confront President-elect Biden and potential approaches to major reform.While a big reform debate may not be likely this year, one is likely coming as the nation will need to confront much higher costs than in other high-income countries, worse outcomes in many cases, tens of millions…