For some people the problem arises when they lose a job and along with it, their health insurance. For others, it is the high co-pays and deductibles are no longer affordable.

Either way, area doctors say people are searching for ways to save on health care.

According to one area clinic, the top three ways people are attempting to save money right now are by deferring routine checks, delaying elective procedures and making changes to their prescriptions either by not taking them at all, buying generic or spreading out the time in between doses.

But one area physician is warning patients not to select substitutes for care without getting suggestions first.

"Some of them may be very appropriate for them. Deciding ‘I can deal with pain of my knee versus having the knee replacement’ - that clearly is a personal decision,” said Dr. Kevin O’Connell of the UW Wausau Family Medicine. "But clearly some of the things patients may choose such as not taking certain medications because they're more expensive, when in fact they may be the most important medication they're taking."

O’Connell advises talking with your doctor before making any changes to your health care.

Most physicians are willing to negotiate on treatments to help you save money.

"I have, as an example, a family that's self-employed, they have no insurance, they have a nice beautiful young baby that is very healthy and what we've done is we've said as long as things are going fine, we will drop out the well-child exams… that aren't associated with either labs or vaccinations,” O’Connell said.

One more bit of advice – call ahead before scheduling a doctor’s appointment or taking a trip to the ER for non-life-threatening ailments.

Many physicians have triage centers that can help you determine if a doctor’s visit is necessary or if home treatment is a possibility.

It is also an option to check if your health care provider offers payment plans. Decreasing payments can help ease the sticker shock of many procedures and treatments.