Solve your health care challenges

The employee share of premiums on company health plans has more than doubled since 1999, to $3,515 a year on average for families. Now employers are devising new ways to shift costs onto you -- moving from low co-pays to co-insurance, where you pay a percentage of the bill, or slapping on new and bigger deductibles.

The solution: Take advantage of the myriad ways your employer also gives you to save money on health care. During open enrollment, sign up for a flexible spending account, which typically lets you stash up to $5,000 tax-free to cover out-of-pocket medical bills (that max drops to $2,500 in 2013). Savings: up to $2,000 a year.

Enroll in the mail-order prescription plan -- you might pay $65 for a 90-day supply of a brand-name drug, vs. $200 at the pharmacy. And switch to a preferred or generic drug, if possible, since many companies are raising your costs on non-preferred and brand-name drugs only.

More than half of large firms are also offering incentives that can modestly lower your costs if you make an effort to get healthier. You might earn $100 in cash, say, or get a $20 lower monthly premium if you enroll in weight-loss classes. Not interested, even though you're battling the bulge? Watch out. A growing number of companies are now penalizing employees for unhealthy behaviors, most commonly by imposing a higher premium.
NEXT: Challenge: You need an individual policy