We can all use a little reprieve from the steep prices of today's health care. Here are five steps you can take now to lighten the load:

1) Cancel unnecessary health insurance. First, eliminate insurance that's already provided under your major medical or HMO policy. These include separate "accident" insurance, credit card "medical assistance" insurance, single illness insurance and those medical/life insurance policies that your kids bring home from school (which can set you back hundreds of dollars a year per kid).

Consider taking the extra money you save not buying all these insurance policies, set it aside in a savings account earmarked for health care and raise your deductible to the amount in the account. That way you save on your major medical insurance premiums as well.

Also avoid insurance "add-ons" that are options on your current policy. For example, you actually fork over about twice the cost of your prescriptions if you use a prescription drug rider. Sure, it seems like you only pay $2 a prescription. But you're actually paying much more if you add in the yearly amount you pay for this rider. To decide if your rider makes money sense, write down how much you spent on your rider, plus the $2 charge for every prescription you had last year. Then call your local drug store and ask what the prescription price would have been.

The same goes for dental insurance and maternity riders. Put the amounts for these premiums into a "health care" savings account in one of our recommended money market funds instead and let it earn interest for you. You can always use the money for dental or maternity medical expenses if you need to, but in the meantime it will be earning interest–and you'll still have the money if you don't have these medical expenses.

2) Sign up for a Flexible Spending Account. A flexible spending account (FSA) lets you use pre-tax money to pay your out-of-pocket medical and child care costs. You have your employer take a specific amount out of your paycheck before taxes. You then pay your medical bills out of pocket and get reimbursed with money set aside in your FSA. Your money has a lot more muscle since you're saving 15%-39.6% (depending on your tax bracket). Ask your employer if an FSA is available to you.

3) Submit your medical claims the most profitable way. You can boost the amount you get back from your insurance company by submitting your claims in a certain order. As a rule of thumb, submit the claim that has the lowest co-payment first. Then wait until that claim has been processed before sending in the next one.

4) Use mail-order pharmacies. You can save big bucks on medicine, medical supplies, vitamins, eyeglasses and contact lenses by using mail-order pharmacies.

• Express Scripts (www.express-scripts.com)
• 1-800-CONTACTS (800/422-5367)
• Nutrition Warehouse, Inc. (516/741-2929)

Straight Talk Tip: Whether you use a mail-order pharmacy or your local drugstore, be sure to ask if there is a cheaper generic substitute.

5) Ask your doctor for free medicine. When your doctor writes you a prescription, ask if he has any samples lying around the office. Doctors are bombarded by drug companies' sales reps that leave samples with each visit. Your doctor will usually be happy to give them to you free - if you ask.

We're not done yet! Be sure to read Four Ways to Cut Your Medical Costs for more money-saving strategies.