She is particularly concerned because they could owe thousands of dollars in medical bills if something unexpected happened, like a hospital stay, because their current plan asks them to contribute much more toward the cost of care. “It’s really scary,” Ms. Landrum said.

Employers also justify the higher deductibles as a way to make sure workers have a financial stake in choosing their doctor or ordering a test. “It truly is to engage employees as better health care consumers,” Ms. Pickering said.

A higher deductible puts more of the onus on the employee to decide whether a doctor’s visit or test at a certain facility is worth it, said Robert Reiff, who heads the employee benefits consulting business for Lockton Companies, an insurance brokerage firm that advises midsize companies.

Employers “are putting more decision-making authority in the employees’ hands,” he said. Many more clients are offering high-deductible plans, he says, frequently accompanied by a savings account that the employee can fund as a way of helping pay for medical bills. In some cases, employers may also put some money in those accounts.

To help employees make better decisions, companies are offering them online tools that show workers the cost of a particular test or doctor’s visit before they go. Many are also providing employees with access to a doctor or a nurse over the telephone or computer as an alternative to a costly doctor’s visit or trip to the emergency room.

Consumers who have to pay the higher deductibles may feel they had little choice about needing care. Matt Freedman, 34, chose a plan last year that had a $6,000 deductible. “I knew it was a risky plan,” he said, but he considered himself healthy and unlikely to accrue sizable medical bills. After minor surgery, however, he developed a serious infection that led to a hospital stay. “You never think something terrible is going to happen,” he said.

People who buy coverage through the state marketplaces may also face high deductibles. Rebecca Bullard, 27, chose a plan this year with a $6,000 annual deductible so she could afford the $129 a month in premiums. When she worried that she had cracked a rib after playing roller derby, she chose to ask friends on social media about what to do rather than go to the doctor. Although she had a plan with a $2,500 deductible before, she had not been worried about what she would pay out-of-pocket. “Now I don’t even want to go to the doctor,” she said.