Average healthcare expenses for American families has increased markedly in recent years, and now the average per family is more than $20,000, according to Milliman.

The firm's 2012 Medical Index showed that families with preferred provider organization policies from an employer costs, on average, a total of $20,728. This is a 6.9 percent rise compared to 2011's statistic. While it is the lowest percentage jump over the past decade, the total cost rise was $1,335 from 2011 to 2012. This was higher than the $1,319 from 2010 to 2011.

"The average rate of increase this year dips below 7 percent for the first time since we began analyzing these costs, but the total dollar increase is still the highest we have seen," said Lorraine Mayne, principal and consulting actuary with the Salt Lake City office of Milliman. "This helps illustrate the challenge of controlling healthcare costs."

Healthcare costs don't have to be expensive. If a family feels they are breaking the bank with their current plan, it may be useful to compare health insurance quotes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that millions of Americans are dealing with Asthma.

The report noted that more than 29 million adults have been diagnosed with the illness at some point in their lives. In addition, close to 19 million still have to deal with the disease, as of 2010. In addition, sizable percentages of children and adults with the illness don't have a plan to help overcome the illness, and the government organization stressed that families need to do what they can to help themselves.

"The information in this release is a stark reminder that asthma continues to be major public health concern with a large financial impact on families, the nation, and our health care system," said Christopher Portier, director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health. "A key component for adults and children is to create and follow an asthma action plan."

Americans who deal with chronic illnesses such as Asthma may be paying more for their health insurance. In order to curb their costs, it could help to look for a policy with affordable health insurance rates.

ZS Associates recently conducted a study which revealed that the healthcare industry could be wasting as much as $20 billion in unused health incentives.

More than 80 percent of medical professionals have access to such incentive programs, but approximately 75 percent of these people did not know how to use them, or were unable to tell the difference between these payouts from their regular earnings. Another 33 percent were not interested in such options.

"While incentive compensation plans are intended to change behavior, improve patient outcomes and achieve critical business objectives, design and execution of the plans are often flawed," said Angela Bakker Lee, one of the report's authors and managing principal at ZS. "Relatively small increases in a doctor's rate of reimbursement, for example, fail to motivate change."

If a patient is concerned they aren't getting the most out of their healthcare plan, it could be the time to look for a new option. By comparing affordable health insurance rates, a consumer may get the policy they have been looking for.

According to data released by the Census Bureau, the percentage of foreign-born households with health insurance is considerably less than that of native households.

Roughly two-thirds of the nation's foreign-born households have health coverage, the agency reports, while 87 percent of native households currently have health insurance plans.

This lower figure of foreign-born households with health coverage may have to do with lower median income. The Census Bureau reports the median for non-U.S.-born households is $46,224 - markedly less than the $50,541 median for native households.

Additionally, the data shows private health insurance companies covered three-quarters of foreign-born households, and slightly more for U.S.-born households.

Residents born in and out of the U.S. who currently reside in the country and may be looking for affordable health insurance rates may want to search online to receive quotes from various insurers.

In 2009, the United States spent more on healthcare per person than a dozen industrialized nations, a report by The Commonwealth Fund found, but the quality of that care was labeled insufficient in some areas.

According to the report, the U.S. spent roughly $8,000 on healthcare per person in 2009, while other prominent countries spent considerably less. Japan and New Zealand only spent roughly one-third of that total, while Norway and Switzerland spent two-thirds.

However, David Squires, senior research associate at The Commonwealth Fund, who authored the study, stated that the country is failing to provide "notably superior" care, despite spending all that money.

"The higher prices we pay for health care and perhaps our greater use of expensive technology are the more likely explanations for high health spending in the U.S.," said Squires. "Unfortunately, we do not seem to get better quality for this higher spending."

One aspect of the health industry that is strong is the number of affordable and comprehensive health insurance companies Americans can choose from. Consumers can check out rates on policies from these companies by going online and comparing coverage plans.