Don't feel like getting up yet? Clap three times and watch the sun climb back behind the horizon so you can get another hour's sleep. Dreading that picnic with the extended family? Stare intently at the clouds, watch them burst with rain, and wave the bad weather away again when the guests have gone. Now it's you alone with all that chocolate cake — dreamy. With powers like these, lowering the rising cost of health care should be easy. Actually, rising health care costs are a little different than other things we can't control. While there are bigger forces at work — the cost of research and technology, an aging population that consumes more care, baffling realities of the health care market place — there are smaller problems we as people can get our arms around. Namely, the way we live, how much we know, and how we choose to spend our money.

The following tips can help lower your personal health care costs, and improve your quality of life. If practiced by every American, they will dramatically lessen the costs we all increasingly face.

Tip #1: Talk to your doctor. Ask questions. A lot of them! You're paying for this visit — you have the right to know everything about anything concerning your health.

When your doctor suggests a treatment, press him for real information about its value and its cost. Find out if there are less expensive alternatives. Find out which tests are necessary and which are optional. Ask about any prescribed medications and if there are over-the-counter alternatives. Ask about self-care tips — things you can do to minimize present and future costs. Explain why you're asking these questions: Because you want to get a handle on your health and its care and keeping. Your doctor is well aware of the nation's health care cost crisis and will welcome the opportunity to help you find safe, healthy, cost-effective solutions. Since most patients don't ask, doctors won't assume you're concerned about costs. Asking these kinds of questions gets them thinking creatively about ways to help you out.

Tip #2: Do your own research. The Internet provides great background information to help you make smart choices about your care.

The Internet is no substitute for the advice of an expert, but it's a great way to learn what questions to ask, explore options, review providers, and research conditions, their treatments and what they can cost.

A few examples of helpful sites include www.cancer.org, www.mayoclinic.org, www.intelihealth.com, www.health.gov, www.leapfroggroup.org, and www.bridgestoexcellence.org/bte/consumers/home.htm.

Here are some tips as you do your own research on the Web:

• Look to the sites of nonprofit organizations for objective information.
• Check any "last updated" notices to make sure the information is still current.
• Look for sites that have accreditation by URAC (Utilization Review Accreditation Commission) or other quality-review organizations.
• Look for sites affiliated with academic institutions, health clinics, and hospitals.
• Look for articles written by recognized experts — it's easier to take their opinions at face value.
• Avoid sites sponsored by specialty supplement providers and diet cure manufacturers.
• Avoid sites sponsored by private individuals mingling opinion with fact.

If anything, doing your own research can arm you with the topics to bring to your doctor for more information.

Tip #3: Practice preventive care, manage your conditions. Learn how to avoid what you don't have and minimize what you've got.

Ask your doctor about any preventive care exams that can minimize future problems and their related costs.

If you have a chronic condition like diabetes or asthma, learn all you can about managing it to improve your quality of life and to reduce overall costs. Free screenings are a great way to stay current on your health and avoid paying more for simple tests.

Catching disease in its earliest, most treatable stages gives you the best chance of recovery and reduces the amount, complexity and cost of care.

Tip #4: Understand the differences between your available health plans. Choosing the right plan can save you money.

Make sure you understand each coverage option and think realistically about what you really need. If your spouse has health benefits elsewhere, make sure you're not paying for duplicate coverage. Think about upcoming life events, like having children, and how one plan may support that change better than another. Look at whether medications you take regularly are included in the health plan's "formulary" of covered medicines and check out its network of providers. If you are healthy, you may save a lot on yearly premiums by choosing a higher deductible or copayment plan.

Ask all the questions you need to best understand your options and unearth every hidden cost.

Tip #5: Understand your health plan coverage. What's covered, what isn't — and how much will it all cost?

Once you've selected a health plan, you receive a packet of information for new members. Use it! Get familiar with plan specifics like copayment amounts for office, urgent care, and emergency room visits. Find out about the cost of hospitalizations, prescriptions and other health care services and how they are covered. Review the provider network. Find out if there are discounts available for health fitness programs.

Avoid surprises by finding out in advance what is and is not covered. And keep your member materials handy.

Tip #6: Give your habits a checkup. Take a good, long, healthy look at you life — how can you make it better by making it healthier?

If you've wanted to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more regularly and eat or drink more sensibly, there are many sources of help, inspiration and information available. Don't wait another day to get started on the road to better health.

Add years to you life, feel happier and avoid costly conditions that stem from poor habits.

Tip #7: Be smart about your prescriptions. Always ask if generics are available.

Generic substitutes for brand-name drugs are an excellent way to reduce costs — with no loss of quality or effectiveness whatsoever. Generics are as strictly controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as brand names. They must contain the same active ingredients and deliver the same amount of medicine to the body in the same amount of time as the brand name. Mail-order options can be another great way to save. You receive a 90-day supply of maintenance medications for the cost of a 60-day supply.

Generics can cost up to 60 percent less than brand names, without compromising quality!

Tip #8: Use the emergency room for emergencies. Don't substitute a trip to the emergency room for an office or urgent care visit.

Visiting the hospital emergency room for strep throat can cost nearly $400, as compared with an office or urgent care visit of $65, according to the Association of Emergency Room Physicians. An emergency is a condition demanding immediate treatment to save your life or stabilize your health. A possible heart attack or stroke, poisoning, broken bones, serious bleeding, head injuries, and severe burns are good examples. Always call 911 in the event of a true emergency. If you're not sure what to do, call the doctor, and if it's after office hours, talk to the doctor or nurse on call.

Avoid unnecessary costs by choosing the right care for your immediate situation.

Tip #9: Be safe. Set those habits: put seat belts on every time you ride in car, even for short trips.

Each year in America, 9,000 unnecessary deaths could be avoided if people would wear seat belts. So could 143,000 avoidable injuries, at a cost of $26 billion. It's easy to make hasty decisions when it comes to safety, not just in the car but even around the house.

Don't let pride or impatience get in the way of your health and safety.

Tip #10: Keep and review your health records! Have a record of what treatments and tests you received and how much they cost.

Unnecessary tests are a frequent source of unnecessary spending on health care. If you've received a medical test, retain copies of the results to avoid being given the same test twice. You can also use them if you are seeking a second opinion on the same condition. As for bills, read them closely. Make sure the amount on the doctor's bill reflects the amount that has been charged to your insurance.

Taking control of your records is a huge part of taking control of your health, and your health spending.

What's the common theme across almost all of these tips? The power of information. Whether by asking questions or doing research, staying organized and gaining knowledge will help you feel more confident about choosing care and speaking to health care providers. It's the same research you'd do before buying a car, house or major appliance. Maybe you can't control the sunrise or the weather, but with a little information, you can move mountains.

Sources: National Highway Transportation Safety Administration; New England Journal of Medicine