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By Kelli B. Grant, SmartMoney.com


FINDING AFFORDABLE HEALTH care is no easy feat -- and it's not getting any easier.

With overall premiums on the rise and employers pushing more of the expense onto employees, insurance costs for individuals are projected to jump 10% this year. The average employee already pays $694 in annual premiums for individual coverage, and $3,281 for family coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health-care nonprofit. Tack on co-pays, deductibles and prescription drugs and the bill gets even bigger.

Seeking out a less expensive plan is obviously the fastest way to cut your insurance costs. But if you're not cautious, you might end up sacrificing some important benefits, says Dave Knowlton, president of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. "You have to be certain that if the worst-case scenario happens -- you become seriously ill -- that you are adequately protected," he says.

Here are five ways to help lower your health insurance bill without lowering your standard of care:

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