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

Stay informed.

Stay informed.

Filter

741 - 750 of 1,309 Results

  • Small Employers and Health Insurance and State Reforms of Small Group Health Insurance – Fact Sheet

    Fact Sheet

    State Reforms of Small Group Health Insurance Between 1989 and 1995, 45 states enacted laws to make health insurance more accessible and attractive to small businesses. The small group market was targeted for reform because about half of all uninsured workers are either self-employed or working in firms with fewer than 25 employees (EBRI, 1996). The problem is that only about half of all small firms offer health insurance (Figure 1). In 1995, 53% of…

  • The Impact of Managed Care Legislation: An Analysis of Five Legislative Proposals from California

    Report

    This study analyzed five 1997 managed care consumer protection proposals currently or recently under consideration by the California state legislature: allowing consumers to sue their HMO (health maintenance organization) or managed care plan; expanding access to prescription drugs not approved by the health plan; expanded coverage of mental health services; direct access to obstetrical andgynecological services; and lengthened minimum hospital stays for mastectomy patients. Report: The Impact of Manged Care Legislation: An Analysis of Five…

  • Health Insurance Coverage in America:  2002 Data Update

    Report

    Health Insurance Coverage in America: 2002 Data Update This chartbook provides 2002 data on health insurance coverage, with special attention to the uninsured. It includes trends and major shifts in coverage and a profile of the uninsured population. Chartbook (.pdf) Previous year's data updates

  • The Number of Uninsured People Rose in 2017, Reversing Some of the Coverage Gains Under the Affordable Care Act

    News Release

    The number of uninsured people rose by nearly 700,000, to 27.4 million people, in 2017, reversing some of the coverage gains achieved under the Affordable Care Act, according to latest analysis of uninsured data by KFF (the Kaiser Family Foundation). It was the first uptick in the uninsured since implementation of the ACA in 2014, which helped drive down the number of uninsured people in the U.S. from 44 million in 2013 to under 27 million…

  • Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University School of Public Health: Update on Americans’ Views on the Consumer Protections Debate

    Poll Finding

    Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University School of Public Health: Update on Americans' Views on the Consumer Protections DebateThe Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University School of Public Health Update on American's Views on Consumer Protections in Managed Care is based on findings from the April 1999 Kaiser/Harvard Health News Index. The survey was designed and analyzed by researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University. Nationwide interviews were conducted by telephone with 1,200 adults, 18 years and…

  • Overview of Selected Medicare Provisions: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Medicare Current Law with Selected House and Senate Provisions to the Balanced – Report

    Report

    Understanding the Growth in Medicare's Home Health Expenditures Overview Of Selected Medicare Provisions: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Medicare Current Law with House and Senate Provisions to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 Prepared by: Health Policy Alternatives, Inc. Prepared for: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation July 1997 Preface This report, prepared by Health Policy Alternatives, presents a side-by-side comparison of current Medicare law with selected Medicare provisions included in the Balanced Budget Act of…

  • The Difference Different Approaches Make: Comparing Proposals to Expand Health Insurance

    Report

    The Difference Different Approaches Make: Comparing Proposals to Expand Health Insurance This paper estimates and compares the impacts of alternative mechanisms for expanding health insurance coverage. A variety of approaches-expansions of existing public programs, direct subsidies, and tax credits-and target populations-including children, poor adults, parents of Medicaid- or CHIP-covered children, and early retirees-are considered. The impacts of the proposals on coverage, costs and other program outcomes are compared. This paper is part of the Kaiser…