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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  • Medicaid Managed Care’s Impact On Safety-Net Clinics In California

    Fact Sheet

    Medicaid Managed Care's Impact On Safety-Net Clinics In California Medicaid Managed Care's Impact On Safety-Net Clinics In California was published in the January/February 2000 issue of the journal Health Affairs. The report provides an overview of Medi-Cal Managed Care in California, and its effects on community health clinics, and related issues. In order to better understand the impact that the Medi-Cal managed care program has had on California safety-net providers, the Kaiser Family Foundation supported…

  • Pending Patient Protection Legislation

    Other Post

    : A Comparative Analysis of Key Provisions of the House and Senate Versions of H.R. 2990 was prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Phyllis Borzi and Sara Rosenbaum of the Center for Health Services Research and Policy, The George Washington University Medical Center. The report provides a side-by-side comparison of the patient protection provisions in the differing versions of H.R. 2990 passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives in 1999, which are…

  • Health Centers’ Role as Safety Net Providers for Medicaid Patients and the Uninsured

    Report

    This issue paper profiles the role America's health centers have played in providing care for Medicaid patients and the uninsured. The paper presents information on health center patients and revenue sources and analyzes similarities and differences both between health centers and private practices and among health centers. These centers perform a unique role in the American health care system as nearly 85 percent of their patients are low-income and more than a third of their…

  • Table

    Other Post

    SUMMARY OF CALIFORNIA VERSUS THE U KEY HEALTH CARE FACTS IN CALIFORNIA AND THE U.S. California U.S. Percentage uninsured (non-elderly) (1998) 24.4% 18.3% Percentage of children uninsured (1998) 20.8% 15.5% Percentage of non-elderly enrolled in Medicaid: 1998 11.1% 8.4% 1994 14.3% 10.0% Percentage of employers that offer health insurance (1999) 48% 61% Percentage of workers with access to coverage for "non-traditional" partners (1999) 31% 18% Average monthly HMO premium for family coverage (1999) $405 $445…

  • Critical Choices In Health Reform

    Other Post

    A pamphlet describing the key issues in the 1994 national debate over health reform, including a review of the legislative approaches being considered and the pros and cons associated with the proposals.

  • The Impact of Manged Care Legislation: An Analysis of Five Legislative Proposals from California – Report

    Report

    The Impact of Managed Care Legislation: An Analysis of Five Legislative Proposals from California Health Policy Economics GroupPrice Waterhouse LLP November, 1997 Executive Summary Managed care has grown tremendously in recent years. From 1988 to 1997, at firms with 200 or more employees, the proportion of employees enrolled in HMOs nationwide increased from 18 percent to 33 percent. The presence of managed care varies by state across the country but is particularly strong in California…

  • Managed Care Plan Liability: An Analysis of Texas and Missouri Legislation

    Other Post

    The Impact of Managed Care Legislation: An Analysis of Five Legislative Proposals from California Health Policy Economics GroupPrice Waterhouse LLP November, 1997 Executive Summary Managed care has grown tremendously in recent years. From 1988 to 1997, at firms with 200 or more employees, the proportion of employees enrolled in HMOs nationwide increased from 18 percent to 33 percent. The presence of managed care varies by state across the country but is particularly strong in California…

  • Privatization of Public Hospitals

    Report

    This report examines the trends in the closure of public hospitals and their conversion to private ownership. It also provides case studies of communities where major privatizations have occurred. Report (.pdf) Summary of Findings (.pdf)

  • Report and Summary of Findings

    Other Post

    Privatization of Public Hospitals Full Report available in PDF format.Summary available in PDF format.Return to top Privatization of Public HospitalsReport