A staggering twenty percent of adult Americans say that they are not able to afford acceptable health care according to the latest report released by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). So, are you one of the 40 million individuals who are not able to sleep soundly because of the fear of being unable to pay for the cost of medical treatment in the event of illness or accident? Perhaps more to the point, do you have to be among the 40 million?

The report of the CDC which was put out in 2007 and examined health around the United States looked in some detail at various aspects of health care and showed amongst other things that:

1. 10% of people are currently unable to pay the cost of prescription medication.

2. 10% of people postpone seeking medical treatment as a result of the price.

3. As many as almost one in three young people between 18 and 24 do not have a normal source of medical treatment or health insurance.

4. 10% of people aged between 45 and 64 do not have a normal source of medical treatment and nearly fifty percent of these individuals are suffering from hypertension, major heart conditions or diabetes.

5. Twenty percent of individuals below 65 years of age are uninsured for at least part of every year, with most being uninsured throughout the 12 month period.

A lot of Americans are lucky enough to get health insurance cover for themselves and their families through schemes run by their employer, although rising costs are forcing an increasing number of employers to reduce the cover under their group health plans or to do away with them altogether. However, there are also many millions of Americans who cannot get cover from their employer and who have to make their own arrangements. It is for this latter group that health insurance is normally considered to be simply too expensive.

So are you correct to dismiss the idea of buying medical insurance simply because you consider that it is too expensive? Health insurance plans come in many different shapes and sizes and, while a traditional fee-for-service plan can be very expensive, there are numerous less expensive alternatives.

In very simple terms medical insurance plans fall into roughly two categories comprising disability income policies and medical expense policies. The former provides compensation for your lost income if you are unable to work as a result of disability while the latter give you cover for the cost of medical treatment arising out of injury or accident.

Each of these types of medical insurance can be written as an individual plan or separately and individual policies can again be broken down to provide cover for specific areas like accident coverage, hospital care, basic medical expenses, major medical expenses and a great deal more.

Furthermore, cover today can be provided by not only traditional insurance companies, but also by several group organizations, companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield, health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations, each of which can offer a wide range of policies with payment options to suit more or less every pocket book.

If you have been frightened off by the thought that you cannot afford to buy health insurance then think again. You might not be in a position to buy a fully comprehensive plan covering every eventuality but it is a sure bet that you will be able to find a plan which will give you at least enough cover to allow you some peace of mind.