Many insured workers in such plans must pay thousands more than that each year. The medical math is forcing them to view their health insurance as something for worst-case scenarios -- like a major hospitalization -- rather than insurance that helps pay for doctor visits and prescriptions.
To be sure, all insurance plans have out-of-pocket maximums, which is the most a consumer will have to pay -- excluding monthly premiums -- within a calendar year. Generally, the lower the premium, the higher the out-of-pocket max.
"For a group with employer-sponsored coverage, you would expect they won't have to make those trade-offs," Hamel said.One reason for the rise in these plans: Employers are shifting the burden of higher health care expenses to their employees. Workers with employer-based insurance typically are paying 12% of their incomes -- or more than $7,200 annually -- on premiums and deductibles, up from 7.
Dr. Munger said he saw this behavior earlier this year when a patient with diabetes and a high-deductible plan decided to skip insulin because of the out-of-pocket costs.