4 tips for picking health insurance

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Your employer and President Barack Obama implore you to become a better health-care consumer. They say it's vital to help slow the seemingly perpetual rise of health-care expenses.

A growing number of companies offer high-deductible health plans that make their employees pay more for care out of pocket. Some workers also are finding that the cost of their coverage is now tied to the quality of their health or whether they smoke.

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 health-care overhaul promises to provide insurance coverage to millions of Americans. But the uninsured first have to figure out which plan suits them best.

Here are four key principles to keep in mind.

1. Your numbers matter.
Many companies now provide biometric screening to their employees, and it's not a bad idea to take them up on the offer. This involves measuring variables such as body weight, cholesterol and blood pressure that can tell whether you're at risk for developing heart disease or other problems.

Companies do this in part because they want their workers to nip health problems before they become full-blown — and costly — medical emergencies like a heart attack or diabetes. That means finding the right cholesterol drug or figuring out an exercise plan that helps you drop a few pounds and leave the cardiac risk zone.

Businesses frequently hire outside firms to coordinate these tests, so your boss won't know your individual test results, but the company may get data showing the averages for those covered under their plans.

2. Knowledge pays.
Knowledge can help you avoid debt. Do some research before buying coverage.

You need an idea for what type of coverage fits best. For instance, if you don't have significant medical expenses, consider a high-deductible plan. It will cost less than more traditional plans, but the catch is you will have to pay more out of pocket when you use the medical system.

That $20 co-payment at the doctor's office may be replaced by $90.

Before committing to a plan, understand what kind of bill you may receive for surgery or a hospital stay. Do you have $5,000 stashed in a savings account to put toward an unexpected medical bill?