Nearly a third of all adults have high blood pressure and another third have high cholesterol, but most aren’t being treated, leaving them at risk for developing heart attacks, strokes and related vascular diseases, according to new data out from the CDC.

Half of American adults with high blood pressure and two thirds of those with high cholesterol aren’t getting adequate treatment, the agency reports.

And it’s not lack of health insurance keeping people from the doctor. Some 80 percent of people with uncontrolled hypertension or high cholesterol have some form of coverage, the CDC reports.

So what’s the problem? Well, while patients may have insurance, they may not have regular access to medical care, or the counseling and support needed to care for these chronic conditions. Others don’t go to the doctor for follow-up visits and about half just stop taking their medicine all together.

Heart attack, stroke and other vascular diseases kill more 800,000 Americans a year and cost the nation about $300 billion a year in medical costs. Thing is, medications can control high blood pressure and high cholesterol before they become serious, the CDC urges.

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