Today, health care costs are high and getting higher. Lots of people in the United States can't afford health care or dental.

Who will pay your bills if you have a serious accident or a major illness? You buy health and dental insurance for the same reason you buy other kinds of insurance, to protect yourself financially.

Discount dental plans are designed for individuals, families and groups looking to save money on their dental care needs. Participating dental care providers have agreed to accept a discounted fee from plan members as payment-in-full for services performed. As a plan member, you simply show your membership card when visiting any participating plan provider to receive most dental services at discounted fees.

With health or dental insurance, you protect yourself and your family in case you need medical care or dental care that could be very expensive. You can't predict what your medical bills will be. In a good year, your costs may be low. But if you become ill or need dental care, your bills could be very high. If you have insurance, many of your costs are covered by a third-party payer, not by you. A third-party payer can be an insurance company or in some cases, it can be your employer.

Discount plans opens the door to provider networks so that you can obtain wholesale prices for doctors, dentist, hospital and other provider services. This means cardholders enjoy the same wholesale rates for their doctor and hospital provider services, along with contract pricing on prescription, dental, vision and hearing services.

One card covers all individuals residing in your household including spouse, natural born children, stepchildren, children for whom you have assumed legal or financial responsibility, and parents who reside in the your household.  Each plan could vary.

It's not health or dental insurance but it is a great alternative to health or dental insurance. It can also be a good supplement to insurance. Most of these discount plans are very affordable.