In today's less-than-best economic atmosphere, many employers are asking their workers to carry more and more of the financial responsibility for their health insurance coverage. As healthcare costs rise ever higher, it's time for all Americans to get on the road to cheaper, more affordable healthcare. The following steps may not reduce your insurance premiums this year or even next, but they can help lower costs for all of us in the future. Step 1: A Pound of Prevention Every year, millions of Americans end up in emergency rooms for treatment of serious, but preventable, injuries. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports over 140,000 needless injuries every year from not wearing a seatbelt. Another estimated 150,000 people suffer head injuries because they don't wear a bicycle helmet before peddling away. Preventable injuries from these two common mistakes total up to nearly $30 billion every year! Other easily preventable injuries stem from improper sports equipment and incomplete sports training. Making sure your child's gear fits and functions properly, and that he knows what he needs to be doing while playing, can go a long way to preventing serious (and even not so serious) injuries. The simple acts of stretching and warming up prior to any physical activity help keep painful sprains and strains away. Wouldn't you rather be prepared than pay the price? Step 2: Get a Move on American could save nearly $77 billion by getting up and doing something. Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and arthritis are all chronic conditions that are more prevalent among the inactive, overweight population. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical exercise everyday can help keep your risk for these serious, costly conditions low. You'll be improving your overall health while taking steps (literally) to help keep healthcare costs down. Taking a note from Step 1 above, you should be sure to check with your physician before beginning any strenuous exercise regimen. Being physically able to perform the activity you have in mind will go a long way toward preventing serious injury from a lack of preventive measures. You should also be certain that you understand the mechanics involved in the physical activity you'll be doing, so that you can perform the necessary movements easily and properly, thus avoiding injury. Step 3: Watch Your Mouth Eating right can improve your overall health, and therefore keep your healthcare costs down. Obesity and being overweight, and the health problems associated with them, cost Americans as much as $100 billion each year. Devising a nutritional plan to accompany your exercise program can reduce chronic problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and asthma. Better management of your chronic illnesses through better eating habits can reduce healthcare costs for you, and for everyone. Proper nutrition can improve your overall health, reducing the risk of such common illnesses as colds and viruses. With the 60% of the nation's adult population now being classified as overweight or obese, and the number of children classified as such steadily growing, unless we watch our mouths and what goes in them, America is in for ever-increasing healthcare costs. Step 4: If This Were a Real Emergency?.. American Emergency Departments are notorious for long waits and inadequate care. Ever wonder why? Because many Americans use their local Emergency Department for routine or non-serious care in place of their physician's office or a walk-in urgent care clinic. The cost of an average non-emergency Emergency Department visit is nearly seven times that of a physician's office visit, and nearly 5 times that of most clinics. Before you head to the hospital next time, contact your physician first. If your physician is unavailable, try an urgent care center. The staff there may be able to help you determine if immediate care is necessary. Leave the Emergency Department for those people with real, serious emergency cases. Your hospital staff will thank you, your wallet will thank you, and in all likelihood, your body will thank you. The irony here, you see, is that in overcrowded Emergency Departments with overworked staffs, the less serious, non-emergency patients receive less care and attention than the true emergency cases. So, you aren't getting what you pay for anyway. Step 5: Develop a Professional Relationship Two professionals are vital to your optimal healthcare cost savings ? your physician and your pharmacist. Getting to know them, and letting them really get to know you and your family can save all of us billions each year. You see, Americans spend about $15 billion on preventable medical ?errors? each year. These ?errors? result from patients not being completely forthcoming with their physicians. We like to lie about how much we smoke or drink, about how much and what kinds of exercise we actually do, about how much we really understand what the doctor or pharmacist is saying regarding our condition and its treatment, about what medications we are taking. These ?errors? result in overmedicating, under dosing, medication interactions, allergic reactions, drug/alcohol interactions, and other preventable injuries. Honesty really is the best policy, especially when it comes to your physical and mental health. Having a good relationship with your physician can have added benefits, too. Regular checkups can spot problems before they reach stages requiring expensive, extensive treatments. Chronic illnesses and conditions can be managed much more effectively when your doctor has a better idea of how you are now compared to how you've been. Developing a good rapport with your physician can save you from making visits, too. When your physician and his staff are familiar with you and your health, oftentimes a phone call is all it takes to get advice on treatment of a non-emergency injury or illness. Taking the above simple, easy to follow steps can and will reduce not only your overall healthcare costs, but also lessen the burden on all of us. American healthcare need not break anyone's bank.