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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751-760 of 1,316 results

  • Retiree Health Coverage: Recent Trends and Employer Perspectives on Future Benefits

    Report

    The report, based on an analysis of Hewitt Associates' client database, presents new trend data on the prevalence of retiree health coverage sponsored by large employers and finds a continued erosion of retiree health benefits. The report also includes findings from a new survey assessing how large employers might change their retiree health programs in the future, and on their reaction to the Administration's proposal to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. The Hewitt…

  • Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Health Insurance and Health Care

    Fact Sheet

    Racial and ethnic groups in the United States continue to experience major differences in health status compared to the majority white population. Although many factors affect health status, the lack of health insurance and other barriers to obtaining health services markedly diminish minorities' use of both preventive services and medical treatments. This report, produced in collaboration with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, examines health insurance coverage and access to physician services among African…

  • Issues in the 2000 Election:  Health Care

    Poll Finding

    Issues in the 2000 Election: Health Care The Washington Post/Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University national survey on "Issues in the 2000 Election: Health Care" is the second in a series of surveys examining policy issues in the 2000 national elections. This survey, conducted July 5-18, 2000, of a nationally representative sample of registered voters also included an oversample of "health care or Medicare-oriented" registered voters. This survey and all surveys in this series, are…

  • Prescription Drugs: Results from a National Survey

    Fact Sheet

    Prescription drugs have become an integral part of medical practice - they help keep people healthy and save lives. But rising prescription drug costs have placed a growing burden on consumers, employers, and public programs. The issue of drug coverage for seniors under Medicare has moved to center stage in the Presidential election. Findings from The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health "National Survey on Prescription Drugs," a Public Opinion Update…

  • Subsidizing COBRA: An Option for Expanding Health Insurance Coverage

    Report

    This paper examines a method for making health insurance more affordable to people who may lose health insurance when they lose or change jobs. A proposal for subsidizing the purchase of group health insurance through COBRA for employees and their dependents who lose their health insurance coverage when the employee leaves a job that provides such coverage. This paper is part of the Kaise Incremental Health Reform Project. Issue Paper

  • Access To Health Care:

    Report

    Promises and Prospects For Low-Income Americans This book explores critical issues affecting access to health care for low-income Americans by assessing the importance of expansions of health coverage for the poor, the emerging challenges providers who serve low-income and uninsured populations face in a rapidly evolving health care delivery system, and the effects of these changes on particularly vulnerable populations. Articles include: IntroductionMarsha Lillie-Blanton, Rose Marie Martinez, Barbara Lyons, Diane Rowland A Review Of The…

  • The Medicaid Eligibility Maze: Coverage Expands, but Problems Persist

    Report

    This report examines Medicaid eligibility policies and operations in five states - California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin - following initial changes introduced by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 and the new Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The study findings suggest that eligibility policy expansions alone may not prevent Medicaid enrollment declines. The report discusses several problem areas affecting Medicaid eligibility and enrollment operations including challenges in severing Medicaid…

  • Tax Subsidies for Health Insurance: Evaluating the Costs and Benefits

    Other Post

    This technical report provides 1) a description of the detailed simulation model and the assumptions used to analyze the effects of different tax subsidies for the purchase of health insurance coverage, and 2) the results of this analysis. The analysis includes the number of people who gain coverage, overall costs to the government, how much is spent on the currently insured vs. uninsured, and the effects on low-income groups. The results of this report were…

  • Comparison of Medi-Cal and Healthy Families Programs for Children in California

    Report

    A new side-by-side examination of California's Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) and CHIP program (Healthy Families) shows how these two low-income health coverage programs differ in structure, eligibility, enrollment process, service delivery and scope. This California case study helps to illustrate differences between Medicaid and CHIP. SIDE-BY-SIDE Download