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Uninsured

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.

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 >>

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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  • Resources on Community Health Centers

    Fact Sheet

    The Kaiser Family Foundation has issued three new resources that examine the role of community health centers as key components of the U.S. health care system, providing primary care to more than 16 million patients nationwide in 2007. The documents, produced for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, include a fact sheet on community health centers, an updated issue brief on their role in the health system and a report on how such…

  • Health Care and Medicaid — Weathering the Recession

    Report

    Rising unemployment is leaving millions more Americans without health insurance, creating challenges for those seeking to stabilize coverage and shore up the nation’s health safety net. In this Perspective article, published March 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine, Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and executive director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, examines the ongoing recession’s impact on health coverage and state Medicaid programs, which…

  • Webinar: Health Policy Provisions of ARRA

    Other Post

    The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Conference of State Legislatures co-sponsored a webinar, or interactive Web-based seminar, that examined key health policy aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The webinar for state legislative health chairs provided an overview of the stimulus law with a focus on provisions dealing with Medicaid, COBRA and health information technology. Webinar

  • Optimizing Medicaid Enrollment: Spotlight on Technology

    Report

    The health reform law provides for a national expansion of Medicaid in 2014 that will extend eligibility to millions more low-income people, primarily uninsured adults. It also requires implementation of a coordinated system for determining eligibility for Medicaid and subsidized coverage in the new health insurance exchanges. Given the expected new demands on Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems, and continuing fiscal strains on states, the impetus to streamline and automate Medicaid systems has never been…

  • Changes in Health Insurance Coverage in the Great Recession, 2007-2010

    Issue Brief

    This issue brief examines changes in health insurance coverage over the last decade, with a focus on how changes in the economy, particularly during the "Great Recession" of 2007 to 2009, have affected coverage and the number of uninsured. The paper finds that the number of uninsured grew substantially during the first recession of the decade, increasing by 5 million people from 2000 to 2004; increased more slowly during the brief recovery, growing by 2.1…

  • Where Is The Growth in the Uninsured Population Coming From?

    Other Post

    The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured co-sponsored a policy briefing today to discuss the dynamics of the uninsured population in America. In 2001, the uninsured population grew by 1.4 million people. To increase understanding of who these people are and answer the question of whether the uninsured problem was shifting to higher-income Americans, findings from two new KCMU reports were presented. You may also view background materials on the uninsured and a webcast…

  • Putting Men’s Health Care Disparities On The Map: Access and Utilization Highlights

    Fact Sheet

    This fact sheet provides a brief overview of racial disparities in health access and utilization among men of different races in the United States. It draws findings from the report, Putting Men’s Health Care Disparities On the Map, which uses national data sources from multiple years to generate state-level estimates on a range of indicators of health status, access, and well-being for men of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Men and women use health care…

  • The Cost and Coverage Implications of the ACA Medicaid Expansion: National and State-by-State Analysis

    Report

    A central goal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to significantly reduce the number of uninsured by providing a continuum of affordable coverage options through Medicaid and new Health Insurance Exchanges. Following the June 2012 Supreme Court decision, states face a decision about whether to adopt the Medicaid expansion. These decisions will have enormous consequences for health coverage for the low-income population. This analysis uses the Urban Institute’s Health Insurance Policy…

  • Health Challenges Facing the Nation

    Event

    Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and executive director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, testified to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress on health insurance coverage and how the uninsured population remains one of the nation's most pressing health care challenges. Testimony (.pdf)

  • Changes in Health Care Coverage 2000-2001

    Report

    This background report analyzes 2001 U.S. Census Bureau data on health coverage to determine the trends that led to 1.4 million people losing health coverage from 2000 to 2001. Report