As employers look for ways to better control health care costs, many are increasingly turning to high-deductible health plans. Though these plans offer cost-savings measures, many employees are unsure of how they work and need guidance from their employers, says Martin Rosen, cofounder of Health Advocate.

Employers should first communicate how HDHPs can positively influence their employees' health care costs, which is a direct result of employees becoming more involved in purchasing decisions. This is different than previous approaches.

"Historically, a lot of health care consumers, for a range of reasons, have not been proactively involved in either shopping for health care or paying for health care directly because of the nature of the way benefits and plans were organized," Rosen says. "By having a financial incentive, it's likely to have employees improve their costs."