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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.

State Health Facts: Health Coverage & the Uninsured

Get data on health insurance status for the population overall and broken down by age, gender, and income. More than 800 up-to-date health indicators at the state level can be mapped, ranked, and downloaded through State Health Facts.

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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  • 2003 Health Insurance Survey – Toplines

    Poll Finding

    The 2003 Kaiser Family Foundation Health Insurance Survey examines the public's level of satisfaction with their insurance coverage, their expectations of health insurance, the role of costs and other factors in health insurance decision-making, and attitudes toward employer-sponsored coverage. It also explores people's opinions about several alternative health insurance plans that are currently under consideration and explores how they might respond to these new options. Survey Toplines (.pdf)

  • Resources Related to Health Coverage and Hurricane Katrina

    Fact Sheet

    Health Care and Hurricane Katrina As part of the Kaiser Family Foundation's commitment to help respond to the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, you will find resources related to an ongoing effort to monitor and study the health coverage and needs of the victims. Check back frequently in the coming months for the latest updates. Recent Resources Testimony—Health Care In New Orleans: Progress and Remaining Challenges New Orleans Three Years After the Storm: The Second Kaiser…

  • The New Middle-Class of Uninsured Americans — Is it Real?

    Report

    This issue paper discusses and answers the question are the newly uninsured in 2001 predominantly from the middle-class. The paper examines U.S. Census Bureau s data and concludes that most of the increase in the uninsured (1.3 million people) was among low-income people with incomes less than 200% of the poverty level. Issue Paper

  • What Happened to the Insurance Coverage of Children and Adults in 2006?

    Issue Brief

    A new, detailed analysis of the latest US Census Bureau data on health insurance coverage looks behind the 2.2 million increase in the number of uninsured, examining changes by age and income. Reversing years of steady declines, the number of uninsured children has grown by one million over the last two years. And, as debate continues on reauthorization of SCHIP, the analysis shows that 48 percent of the increase in uninsured children from 2005 to…

  • Access to Care for the Uninsured: An Update

    Report

    As the Census Bureau releases the latest data on health insurance coverage, prior research has shown that health insurance coverage improves access to care and health outcomes. New data from the Kaiser 2003 Health Insurance Survey updates what is known about barriers to access to health care. Chart Pack (.pdf)

  • Medicare: Comparison of the Candidates’ Proposals

    Fact Sheet

    Medicare: Comparison of Candidate's Proposals Download a printable pdf of this document Bush-Cheney1 Kerry-Edwards2 General approach Supports greater role for private plans under Medicare to give seniors greater choice of health plans. Supports giving seniors a choice of a health plan that’s right for them. Opposes privatization of Medicare that causes benefit cutbacks. Opposes forcing seniors into HMOs to get drug benefits or affordable premiums. Market competition Supports competition between Medicare private plans and the…

  • The Economic Downturn and Changes in Health Insurance Coverage, 2000-2003

    Report

    This report shows that number of uninsured Americans under age 65 increased by 5.1 million between 2000-2003 largely driven by continuing declines in employer sponsored insurance. For children, this decline was more than offset by increases in enrollment in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), resulting in a decrease in the number of children without coverage. The same growth in public coverage did not occur for adults, and as a result all…

  • National Survey of Public Knowledge of the Medicare Program and Public Support for Medicare Policy Proposals

    Other Post

    New Survey finds most Americans oppose slowing the growth of Medicare to balance the budget or cut taxes, but would support changes to avoid bankruptcy Embargoed for release until: 9:30 AM EST Thursday, June 29, 1995 Contacts: Matt James Tina Hoff (415) 854-9400 --Public Favors Incremental Rather than Sweeping Reforms-- --Significant Generational Differences on Medicare Reform-- Washington, D.C. -- A new survey has found that close to three out of four Americans (73%) support reducing…

  • How Accessible is Individual Health Insurance for Consumers in Less-Than Perfect Health?

    Report

    This report documents the findings of a study examining access to health insurance coverage in the individual market for people with health problems. Seven hypothetical consumers with varying health conditions were defined and insurers and HMOs in eight different markets around the country were asked to consider them as though they were real consumers applying for coverage. Renewed debate over proposals to expand coverage for the uninsured using tax credits for the purchase of individual…