Bloomberg has a good look at one of the most significant yet under-appreciated trends in health insurance: the dramatic increase in deductibles, especially within employer-based coverage.

By the numbers: In employer-based health plans, the average deductible for a single person is roughly $1,500, according to Kaiser — almost three times higher than it was a decade ago.

The impact: The trend toward increasingly high deductibles means families can still struggle to afford their care, even with insurance. Bloomberg’s story follows a family who has insurance, but declared bankruptcy twice amid mounting out-of-pocket bills.

What they’re saying: Now, experts are starting to reconsider whether high cost-sharing — once conceived as a way to turn employees into more discerning health care consumers — is working.

“High-deductible plans do reduce health-care costs, but they don't seem to be doing it in smart ways,” USC professor Neeraj Sood told Bloomberg.

Why it matters: This frustration with existing cost-shifting tools — and the growing sense that we’ve basically maxed out their utility — is contributing to the renewed focus on underlying health care prices.