Consumers are skipping preventive procedures because their deductibles range from $1,000 to as much as $10,000.  For example, in California, the average annual deductible for employer-based HDHP plans was more than $1,800, according to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

“While individuals with high-deductible plans may be less likely to utilize the emergency room for care, they may also delay necessary treatment or doctor visits,” a report from the UCLA center said.  

HDHP plans that also include a health saving account (HAS) are the only type of medical-insurance plan that showed an increase in market share from 2009 to 2010, according the 2010 Employer Health Benefits Survey of the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust.  Such plans enroll 13% of covered workers, according to that most-recent survey, compared with 8% a year earlier and 4% in 2006.

When individuals buy their own HDHP policies, according to that survey, the deductibles are even higher, with the average being $2,500 for an individual and $5,100 for a family.