ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A Pittsburgh area insurer is taking a new approach to making health care more available and affordable, but the approach its taking is generating controversy.

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Highmark is attempting to cut through the negative stigma looming over the health care industry by pushing a friendlier approach at its new retail insurance store in Ross Township, opening Saturday.

Customers can learn more about their health and purchase health insurance if they don't already have it.

"That's our mission -- get people access to health care services," said Highmark CEO Ken Melani.

The Pennsylvania Department of Insurance says more than 1 million residents in the state -- 8.2 percent of the population -- do not have insurance.

In Allegheny County, that number exceeds 75, 000, or 9 percent of the county's population.

"There's a bit of a fallacy that health care isn't affordable. For some people it's not, but for many people who think it isn't affordable, there are actually affordable programs and that's why we're doing this," said Melani.

But the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Single-Payer Health Care is protesting Highmark's new concept.

"Health care is not a commodity to be bought and sold. It's not a commodity for the fortunate. It's a human right that should be for everyone. Everyone deserves equal health care," said Sandy Fox of single-payer health care.

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato says Highmark is showing the public how affordable health care can be.

"Here's what I would argue -- whatever percentage of people leaving through that door that actually get coverage, that's one more person without it that walked out with it," said Onorato.

However Highmark is not claiming to be a savior and cover all of the uninsured.