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.

A Closer Look at North Carolina’s Implementation of the 2025 Reconciliation Law Medicaid Provisions and Other Changes Amid Medicaid Budget Shortfalls

This policy watch provides initial insight into how North Carolina is preparing to implement certain Medicaid provisions of the 2025 reconciliation law and how other policy changes may affect coverage and access to care.

Actual Tobacco Settlement Payments Received by the States (in millions)

Key Facts About Health Care Affordability for People With Medicare

This brief presents key facts and analysis about affordability of health care costs among people with Medicare, including younger adults with long-term disabilities, drawing on data from various sources.

Understanding Medicaid Cost Sharing and Policy Changes from the 2025 Reconciliation Law

This brief explains current Medicaid cost sharing rules and changes made to cost sharing rules by the 2025 reconciliation law, reports on cost sharing amounts states currently impose on ACA expansion adults, and highlights literature on the impact of cost sharing.

What We Know So Far About 2026 ACA Marketplace Enrollment, Premiums, and Deductibles

This analysis examines early indicators of how the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits has affected effectuated enrollment levels (i.e., enrollment among people who have paid their premiums), plan selections, and out-of-pocket costs in 2026, drawing on plan selection and effectuated enrollment data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state-based Marketplace (SBM) Open Enrollment reports, as well as KFF survey data and individual market enrollment estimates from Wakely Consulting Group.

The Average Marketplace Deductible Grew by About $1,000 Per Person in 2026, With More Enrollees Shifting to Higher-Deductible Plans as Enhanced Tax Credits Expired

The average Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace deductible experienced the steepest increase in history—growing by 37% or over $1,000, from $2,759 in 2025 to $3,786 in 2026 as enhanced premium tax credits expired, according to a new KFF analysis. After the enhanced tax credits ended, many Marketplace shoppers shifted toward lower-premium, higher-deductible plans.

As TrumpRx Expands to Include Generic Drugs, KFF Polling Shows Nearly 6 in 10 Adults Are Worried About Prescription Drug Costs

As of early March, a majority of the public (59%) is worried about affording prescription drugs for themselves and their families, the largest share since KFF first polled this question in 2018.

Hospital Prices Have Risen Much Faster for Private Insurance Than Medicare Since 2019

This brief compares the prices paid by private insurers for hospital care to increases in Medicare payment using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Producer Price Index (PPI), finding that hospital prices have risen much faster for private insurance than Medicare since 2019.

What to Know About the BALANCE Model for GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge

This brief describes current coverage of GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to expand access and lower costs for GLP-1s through temporary demonstration programs including the BALANCE Model, and potential impacts on beneficiaries and program budgets.

A Look at the GENEROUS Model and Factors That Could Impact Medicaid Drug Costs

This issue brief provides background on the GENEROUS model, examines the factors that will contribute to the model’s overall impact on Medicaid drug costs, and illustrates how savings will depend on model details that are confidential or uncertain at this time.

There Are Many MAHAs

In a new column, Dr. Drew Altman, Founding President and CEO, dissects the MAHA “movement.” He writes: “There appear to be many MAHAs, not one. You can care about pesticides, or food additives, or vaccines, or child health, or corporate influence, or all of the above, to varying degrees. The reason so many Americans say they support MAHA when asked in polls is that, like a restaurant with a large menu, there is something in it for many Americans to select. But, the one thing they care about most—their health care costs—isn’t on the menu.”

KFF Health Tracking Poll: MAHA and the Midterms

This KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that the cost of health care is a more prominent focus for Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) voters than issues like food and vaccine policy. Four in ten MAHA voters (42%) choose lowering health costs as the most important health priority, outranking other MAHA priorities.

MAHA Health Concerns Resonate Broadly but Lag Behind Health Care Costs Even for MAHA Voters

Chemical food additive and pesticide concerns associated with the Make America Health Again (MAHA) movement are shared broadly across the public. But when it comes to voters, health care costs are a higher priority and bigger motivator, even among MAHA supporters, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds.