Staying in good health is probably the best way to reduce health care costs. But there are a number of other ways to dramatically reduce your health care costs over the course of your lifetime. Here are 13 tips that could help you.

1. Know your health insurance plan's rules and follow them.

There are thousands of different health insurance plans nationwide, each one as different as the insurer or employer that sponsors it. If you're not well-versed about whether you need pre-authorization for outpatient surgery or if you must pick an allergist from a network, you could pay significantly more for your health care by not following the rules.

Don't assume anything about your benefits and providers. In fact, don't even believe everything stated in your most recent benefits handbook. Always double-check whether the benefits, services or providers you need are covered under your plan before you receive treatment. Verify coverage rules by calling your plan's customer service department. Then obtain any necessary authorizations or schedule treatment with a doctor within your insurer's network of providers — if that's what your plan requires.

If you don't follow the plan rules for receiving health care, your insurer may deny your claim or pay only a portion of the bill.

2. Buy a "lite" health insurance policy.

All states impose health insurance mandates on group health insurance policies — requiring coverage for a variety of benefits, procedures and health care providers. That raises premiums for everyone and it doesn't matter if you ever use the benefits. Perhaps you don't need or want coverage for maternity stays or chiropractors or mental health treatment. So why pay for a policy that includes those?

According to the Council for Affordable Health Insurance (CAHI), 10 states allow group health insurers to offer "mandate-lite" policies, which can be tailored to your own health care needs and more affordable due to the reduced benefits: Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, New Jersey and West Virginia.

3. Coordinate your family's health insurance plans.

Dual coverage can be expensive. If both you and your spouse maintain group health coverage, make sure it makes financial sense to pay premiums for both. You don't want to pay more than you'll get back in benefits by having duplicate coverage.

If you do decide to maintain both plans — as an added safety net or because the benefits in one plan are needed and not offered by the other — make sure you understand how the benefits in each plan will coordinate with the other.

Coordination of benefits (COB) can be complicated, especially if you have one type of plan, such as an indemnity plan, and your spouse has an HMO.

4. Plan ahead for emergencies.

While you can't always be fully prepared for an emergency, there are some things that you can have ready. Most importantly, you should know which nearby hospitals belong to your health plan's network of providers. Learn this information ahead of time, write it down and keep it someplace handy. If you can't find this information during an emergency, call the 24-hour help line number listed on the back of your insurance card.

5. Cut your pharmacy costs.

According to a March 2008 report issued jointly by USA Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, four in 10 adults (41 percent) say it's at least somewhat of a problem for their family to pay for prescription drugs, including 16 percent who say it is a serious problem. That leads many to cut back: Three in 10 (29 percent) say that they have not filled a prescription in the last two years because it's too expensive and 23 percent say they have cut pills in half or skipped doses in order to make medication last longer.

There are ways to stretch your drug dollar:

• Ask your doctor for free samples of any drugs prescribed. Most physicians have closets full of them.
• Major store chains offer low flat-rate prices for generic prescription drugs: Wal-Mart and Target have lists of prescriptions available for $4.
• Most drug manufacturers provide medications for free or at a reduced cost to people who qualify for their patient assistance programs. Many drug makers operate multiple assistance programs, depending on the medicines involved. Eligibility rules for patient assistance programs vary considerably, but often you must be without insurance coverage for prescription drugs (including Medicaid and Medicare), meet low-income guidelines and be unable to afford your medicine on your own.

6. Take advantage of tax breaks.

Flexible spending accounts (FSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and medical savings accounts (MSAs) — known collectively as health care savings accounts — are becoming more popular. One of the most popular is the FSA, an employer-sponsored account that offers you a way to pay for certain out-of-pocket health care or dependent care costs on a pre-tax basis.

Also, dental and vision care count as reimbursable medical expenses under FSA arrangements, so don't forget to save your receipts for these services.

7. Quit smoking.

This can immediately save you $175 a month if you are a New Yorker with a one-pack-a-day habit, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Additionally, if you apply for life insurance as a smoker, you'll pay a hard-to-swallow smoker rate. You'll need to be nonsmoker for at least one year to qualify for nonsmoker life insurance rates.

8. Lose weight.

According to a Rand Corp. study, being obese adds $395 each year to the average $1,500-per-year health care cost. That's more than smoking (an addition of $230), aging 20 years ($225) and problem drinking ($150).

You could also have trouble securing life insurance and individual health insurance if you are obese.

9. Exercise more.

It's harder to quantify what you'll save in health care costs by exercising more, since this number is also linked to losing weight through dieting. But generally speaking, exercising not only improves your health, but it also saves you money when you purchase life insurance because healthy people live longer, and longer life expectancies mean better life insurance rates. Many studies show it's never too late to start exercising and that even small improvements in your fitness level can improve your health and longevity.

10. Seek out free or low-cost health screenings, checkups and services.

Does your HMO offer free blood pressure checks? Low-cost flu costs or nutrition, dieting and physical fitness classes? Take advantage of these lifestyle programs to help you stay healthy and reduce your doctor visits and medications.

11. Raise your deductible or co-payment.

Whenever possible and financially practical, lower your monthly health insurance premium by raising your deductible or co-payment. But make sure that you can pay these potential out-of-pocket costs should you have to.

12. Haggle with your doctor.

Ask your doctor for a discount on medical treatments. There's a long history of patients negotiating with their providers for lower prices on elective procedures, such as laser vision surgery or psychotherapy. Establish the price you believe is reasonable and go for it.

13. Investigate your State Children's Health Insurance Program.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is a federally funded program designed to provide health and dental coverage for children whose parents can't afford private health insurance. Every state has its own SCHIP program and is allowed to make its own rules regarding policies and eligibility, within certain parameters. Families that do not currently have health insurance are likely to be eligible, even if parents are working. For little or no cost, SCHIP pays for doctor visits, immunizations, hospitalizations and emergency room visits.

In addition, some states have expanded SCHIP and Medicaid in order to cover pregnant woman and other adults who might otherwise go uninsured.

If you think your child might be eligible, you can get more information about SCHIP in your state by calling (877) KIDS-NOW or visiting the InsureKidsNow.gov Web site, which offers information about eligibility in your state and applying for coverage.