It's possible to lower out-of-pocket health care costs by understanding what your health plan covers, what it does not cover and how to make the most of every dollar spent on health care and health insurance. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware offers these suggestions for optimizing a health care budget this year:

Stay in-network. Make sure your doctor(s), laboratory and hospital are a part of your health plan's provider network so you save on copays and coinsurance amounts.

Have a referral. Before you see a specialist, check to see if you need a referral and, if so, find out how to request one. Without a referral, you may have to pay for services at the full out-of-pocket cost.

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