How to beat the health care odds.

• Position: Insurance

U.S. residents list health care as tied for the nation's No. 1 problem, right along with a dysfunctional government, a Gallup poll reports. Perhaps it is no coincidence that those two issues cause equal amounts of anxiety among Americans, notes Chris Orestis, executive vice president of GWG Life, Minneapolis, Minn., and author of Help on the Way: The Big Insurance Secret Seniors Aren't Supposed to Know and A Survival Guide to Aging: Healthy Living, Long-Term Care, Financial Stability.

"There's a lot of debate in Washington about what role government should play in health care, and I think a lot of people are worried that lawmakers aren't coming up with good answers. People around the country have come to realize how important health care coverage is for them, and how easy it is to lose It."

With so much uncertainty about what--if anything--will replace ObamaCare if the move to repeal it continues, it may fall to each Individual to take measures to make sure the odds are in his or her fevor. The key to doing that, Orestis indicates, is to understand how to get the most out of what you already have. Some factors to consider include:

Weigh employer-provided options. Most Americans get health Insurance at work, and usually there are coverage options to choose from. Employees need to consider how much medical care they think they and their families will require in the coming year. "If you don't expect to need a...