It’s a widely held belief that medical insurance is so expensive that the typical American can’t afford it unless it’s provided through his job. While no one’s trying to say that health insurance is cheap, it may not be as out of reach as some people think it is. Major medical insurance plans are available for prices as low as $30 a month. Most American people have much more than a dollar a day that could be trimmed from their monthly budget, if needed.

Make no mistake, you’re not going to have a Cadillac policy for $30 per month. When we say that you can have medical insurance at this price, we’re not saying that you can have a policy that will ensure that you can see any doctor you want, any time that you want, without having to pay any of the costs. Quite to the contrary. With many of the budget insurance policies available, you will be restricted as to which doctors you can see, and you will have to pay a percentage (typically 20%-30%) of the costs of your doctor’s visits.

Still, you would not be without coverage. Most policies have a cap on how much money comes out of your pocket per year before the insurance kicks in and pays a higher percentage (or all) of the medical expenses. Admittedly, these caps are set high, and deductibles are also often high. This discourages trivial use of the health care system, which still allowing policy holders to visit the doctor when they need to.

Of course, there are also other factors that can raise the price of your insurance. We have assumed that we are in reasonably good health. Of course, not everyone is so blessed. Legislation has been introduced that should make purchasing insurance more affordable for those with medical conditions, but for now, those who already sick can expect to pay a bit more for their insurance.

No one is suggesting that these kinds of insurance plans are as good as some of the major medical plans provided. Still, they are more affordable than other plans, and they do provide a safety net to prevent you from bankrupting yourself on medical bills. And, they are available from a wide variety of reputable medical insurance carriers.

Photo via Lordcolus