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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.

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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  • Medicaid Spending Growth over the Last Decade and the Great Recession, 2000-2009

    Report

    This report examines Medicaid spending growth nationally during the last decade, with a focus on growth during the recession of 2007 to 2009. The recession-driven enrollment growth in recent years drove program spending to increase faster than national health spending overall, but on a per enrollee basis the growth in Medicaid spending has remained lower than the rise in private insurance premiums and overall national health expenditures. The recession-driven increase in Medicaid enrollment has been…

  • Resources Examine Recession-Driven Record Medicaid Enrollment and Assess Medicaid Spending Growth

    Fact Sheet

    Three papers from the Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examine Medicaid enrollment and spending during the recent recession. The analyses show Medicaid enrollment rose above 50 million people nationally for the first time in 2010, reflecting the program’s counter-cyclical role of helping people who become uninsured when the economy falters, with many turning to Medicaid after losing jobs and employer-based health insurance. Without access to Medicaid coverage, millions more people who suffered economic…

  • New Resources & Briefing Examine Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports

    Event Date:
    Event

    The following resources by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) examine the latest data findings regarding Medicaid’s long-term services and supports for seniors and people with disabilities. The materials were released at a public briefing in the Foundation’s Washington, D.C. offices that featured an expert panel and remarks on long-term services and supports by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. The reports include: Medicaid Home and Community-Based…

  • A Challenge for States: Assuring Timely Access to Optimal Long-Term Services and Supports in the Community

    Issue Brief

    The Medicaid program is a major payer for long-term services and supports (LTSS) in the United States, accounting for 40 percent of total spending for long-term services and supports. The federal government has played an active role in sponsoring initiatives to promote a shift to community-based care; and evidence from several states suggests that providing care in the community can be less expensive than providing institutional care. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides incentives for…

  • Money Follows the Person Transitions Individuals from Nursing Homes to the Community

    Issue Brief

    This brief presents short profiles of four Ohio residents who have benefited from the state's Money Follows the Person demonstration program, known as HOME Choice. It was released along with several other resources on Medicaid long-term services and supports at a Feb. 7, 2011 briefing at the Foundation's Washington, D.C., offices. Profiles (.pdf)

  • With Federal Support, States Hold Steady in Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Policies for Low-Income Children and Families Despite Recession

    News Release

    New 50-State Survey Finds Some States Make Targeted Expansions to Strengthen Coverage and Achieve Efficiencies as They Prepare for Health Reform WASHINGTON -- Despite tight budgets, nearly all states maintained or made targeted expansions or improvements in their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) eligibility and enrollment rules in 2010, preserving the programs’ ability to provide coverage to millions of low-income Americans who otherwise lack affordable options, according to a new survey released today…

  • Pulling It Together: Repeal

    Perspective

    The House will soon vote to repeal the health reform law, the Senate won’t, and the President would veto it if they did.  So what does a House vote for repeal mean? It is, of course, a campaign promise kept to the political right.  It is also a signal from the Republican leadership that they plan to continue to use opposition to the health reform law as a rallying point for their political base.  Our…

  • Building an Information Technology Foundation for Health Reform: A look at Recent Guidance and Funding Opportunities

    Issue Brief

    The major coverage provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) go into effect in January 2014 with an expansion of Medicaid eligibility to nearly all individuals under 138% of poverty and new subsidies for individuals with incomes between 138% and 400% of poverty to purchase coverage in newly established Health Insurance Exchanges. The ACA envisions a streamlined and simplified application process with seamless transitions between coverage in the Exchange and Medicaid. Using a web portal,…

  • Holding Steady, Looking Ahead: Annual Findings Of A 50-State Survey Of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, And Cost Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP, 2010-2011

    Report

    The annual 50-state survey of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility rules, enrollment and renewal procedures and cost sharing practices, conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured with the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, found that, in 2010, coverage in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program remained strong with some improvements, particularly for low-income children. However, eligibility for their parents and other low-income adults continued to lag behind. The survey also…

  • 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…