No Smoking

• If you're a smoker, then someone has probably told you that you should quit. Whether you do or not is another story, but there is little doubt that it adversely affects your health. Health-insurance companies know this, and even under proposed reform legislation, these companies will be able to raise your premiums, according to CNSNews.com. Non-smokers will be treated to lower premiums and will be considered a lighter risk.
  
  

Buy a High-Deductible Plan

• It is possible that spending more on your insurance plan, when you need it, will save you money. Most people, especially healthy ones, look at what they will be spending each month in premiums when they choose their plan instead of looking at the overall benefits. Low premiums and deductibles often mean big out-of-pocket maximums and dollar limitations on what they will cover. Sometimes there are procedures that won't be covered at all, according to a report by The Chicago Tribune.
  
  One way around this is to buy into a plan with a high deductible. Instead of a policy that kicks in once you've met a $250 deductible, but that limits its coverage to $50,000, get a policy that kicks in after a $1,000 deductible that will cover all unforeseen medical expenses. This could save you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run should something major happen with your health.
  
  

Compare COBRA

• When someone is laid off, quits or otherwise loses their job, he has the option of signing up for a COBRA plan. COBRA (or Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) gives workers the opportunity to continue their coverage from a job they no longer have, but it isn't always necessarily the best deal you can find. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, COBRA may require individuals to pay up to 102 percent of the plan's cost. So if the company who carried the plan paid too much for their employees' plans, then you will also pay more than the policy is worth. Instead, try shopping for a policy that will be in the $200 to $300 per month range for a single person instead of a COBRA plan that may run you $400 to $500 a month.