Employers turn to high-deductible health plans that push workers to shop around

A growing number of U.S. workers are covered by health insurance that sticks them with a bigger share of the medical bill but also softens that blow by providing a special account to help with the expense. Companies are turning more to these so-called consumer-directed health plans, which push patients to shop around for the best prices for care, because they can cost less than other types of coverage and help hold down future increases. Nearly 3 in 10 employees have this kind of coverage, up from 2 in 10 in 2014, according to an annual study of private insurance trends from the Kaiser Family Foundation released Wednesday. A decade ago, these plans were almost unheard of. Patients and employers generally pay less toward the premium, or cost of the coverage itself.