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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  • The Role of Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage for Immigrants: A Primer

    Issue Brief

    Access to employer-sponsored health insurance is declining for all families living in the United States, and this problem is especially acute for immigrant families. Employer-sponsored coverage is a particularly important source of insurance for immigrant families since their eligibility for public coverage through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is restricted. This primer examines the role of employer-based coverage for immigrants and the specific hurdles they face in obtaining this coverage. Issue…

  • National Council of Jewish Women features article on “Diagnosing Women’s Health Care”

    Other Post

    National Council of Jewish Women features article on “Diagnosing Women’s Health Care” Kaiser Vice President and Director of Women's Health Policy, Alina Salganicoff, authored an article titled "Diagnosing Women’s Health Care" featured in the National Council of Jewish Women's magazine, NCJW Journal, volume 29. The article highlights the special challenges that many women face in affording and accessing comprehensive health care in the U.S. It discusses the state of women's health coverage, emerging issues for…

  • Retired Steelworkers and Their Health Benefits: Results from a 2004 Survey

    Report

    This Kaiser survey report looks at how the bankruptcies of two steel companies, the LTV Corporation and Bethlehem Steel, affected health coverage for the companies' retirees and dependents. The bankruptcies left about 200,000 retirees and spouses without retiree health coverage in 2002 and 2003. The report provides insight into the impact of a tax credit enacted by Congress in 2002 to provide temporary assistance to workers and retirees in "distressed" industries, including the steel industry.…

  • Cover the Uninsured Week 2006 – Kaiser Family Foundation Resources

    Fact Sheet

    May 1-7, 2006, is Cover the Uninsured Week, organized by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and several partner organizations. The Kaiser Family Foundation has a wide range of resources on the topics of health coverage and the nation's uninsured population to assist you in your work related to these issues. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launches the Week at a May 2 event in Washington, D.C. Webcast Fact Sheets & Primer The Uninsured and Their…

  • Opening Doorways to Health Care for Children: 10 Steps to Ensure Eligible but Uninsured Children Get Health Insurance

    Report

    Despite the success of Medicaid and SCHIP in reducing the number of uninsured low-income children by one-third in the last decade, over eight million children remain uninsured. Seventy percent of these uninsured children are eligible for public health coverage. This report by the Children's Partnership lays out a plan for creating a series of enrollment doorways that make enrollment and renewal of children both routine and timely -- as close to automatic as possible. The…

  • Medicaid and SCHIP Eligibility for Immigrants

    Fact Sheet

    Immigrants in the U.S. face increasing challenges securing health care coverage. They have less access to employer-sponsored insurance than native citizens and face tighter restrictions on their eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP, the nation’s major public health coverage programs for low-income children and families. This fact sheet provides an overview of the current rules on immigrants' eligibility for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Fact Sheet (.pdf)

  • March 30, 2006 Policy Forum to Release the National ADAP Monitoring Report

    Event Date:
    Event

    The National ADAP Monitoring Report provides the latest data on state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). ADAPs, authorized under Title II of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, provide HIV/AIDS-related prescription drugs to uninsured and underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS. ADAPs operate in 57 U.S. states, territories, and associated jurisdictions. The report, the tenth in an annual series, was prepared by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Alliance of State and…

  • National ADAP Monitoring Project, Annual Report, 2006

    Report

    The National ADAP Monitoring Report, 2006 provides the latest data on state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs). ADAPs, authorized under Title II of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, provide HIV/AIDS-related prescription drugs to uninsured and underinsured individuals living with HIV/AIDS. ADAPs operate in 57 U.S. states, territories and associated jurisdictions. The report, the tenth in an annual series, was prepared by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Alliance of State…

  • Health Centers Reauthorization: An Overview of Achievements and Challenges

    Report

    This report reviews the role of community health centers in the nation's health care safety net. Today, over 1,000 federally funded and “look-alike” health centers serve 14.3 million people, three-quarters of whom are uninsured or covered by Medicaid. As health centers look toward legislative reauthorization in 2006, they face several policy challenges reviewed in this report, including an increase in the uninsured populations, potential decreases in Medicaid revenue, and a need to increase health centers'…