An amazing twenty percent of adult Americans say that they are not able to afford satisfactory health care according to the latest figures released by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). So, are you amongst the more than 40 million individuals who cannot sleep soundly for fear of not being able to meet the cost of medical treatment in the event of accident or illness? More importantly, do you have to be among the 40 million?

The CDC report which was published in 2007 and explored health across the United States looked in some detail at several aspects of health care and found that:

1. Ten percent of people are currently unable to meet the cost of prescription medicines.

2. Ten percent of people put off seeking medical treatment as a result of the price.

3. As many as nearly 1 in 3 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 do not have a usual source of medical treatment or health insurance.

4. Ten percent of people between the ages of 45 and 64 do not have a usual source of medical treatment and approximately 50 percent of these adults are suffering from hypertension, a major heart condition or diabetes.

5. One out of every 5 people under 65 years of age are not insured for at least part of every year, with the majority of these being uninsured throughout the year.

A lot of people are fortunate enough to get cover for themselves and their families through schemes run by their employer, however escalating costs are forcing many employers to reduce their employee health insurance plans or to drop them altogether. There are however also millions of people who cannot get cover through their employment and who need to make arrangements for themselves. It is this second group which often considers that health insurance is simply too costly.

But should you dismiss the idea of getting medical insurance out of hand simply because you consider that it is too expensive? Health insurance comes in various shapes and sizes and, although a traditional indemnity plan can be very expensive, there are a lot of affordable options.

Put simply, health insurance falls into two broad categories comprising disability plans and medical expense plans. The first provides compensation for your loss of income when you are no longer able to work because of disability while the latter provides cover for medical bills arising out of injury or accident.

Each of these types of health insurance can be written as a single plan or separately and separate plans can again be broken down to cover particular areas such as accident coverage, major medical expenses, basic medical expenses, hospital care and a great deal more.

Further, cover can now be provided by not just traditional insurers, but also by a variety of group organizations, companies such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield, health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations, each of which can provide a wide range of plans with payment options that suit practically every pocket book.

If you are frightened by the thought that you cannot afford health insurance then think again. You might not be in a position to purchase a comprehensive plan covering all eventualities but it is a sure bet that you will be able to discover a plan which will give you at least sufficient coverage to provide you with some peace of mind.