Many employers are going to HSAs. My school district did the same a few years ago, which meant that when I got my Gleevec (I was on G back then), I had to put $4000 on my credit card when I stopped by the pharmacy, the first month of my plan. Fortunately, I was able to switch to my husband's insurance 3 months later when the enrollment window opened. Had I not been able to switch, I'd have had to do the $4000 deductible a few months later, because my school district switched their enrollment window from school year to calendar year.
Health care costs are high, and employers are doing all they can to put the cost on their employees. . .thus the many companies switching to HSAs. I was amazed at how ignorant the average person is when it comes to understanding the medical system. I was on our teacher's contract negotiations team and was unable to get the rest of the team to understand the consequences of accepting the district's proposal to switch from a traditional insurance plan to the HSA. The district brought in people to pitch it, and the rest of my negotiations team assumed (I think) that my arguments and warnings against it were simply my own attempts to safeguard my own medical situation.
Now they are suffering, and complaining.
HSAs do not work. They encourage people to NOT see their doctor when they are sick, since they have to pay the actual cost, rather than a copay, and then after they've paid the high deductible, they run to the doctor and have every possible thing done resulting in unnecessary costs to the medical system.