Sixteen percent of all employees with employer-sponsored plans chose CDHPs in 2012—showing larger enrollment growth than any other type of insurance plan. This trend corresponds with a slight, but steady decline in HMOs over that same period, researchers said.

Karen Greenrose, AAPPO President and CEO, said that health care's uncertain environment is part of the reason for increasing popularity of CDHP plans.

“As our economy continues to stumble and the fate and feasibility of the Affordable Care Act remains in question, employers of all sizes continue to seek innovative ways to reduce what they spend to cover their employees,” she said. “Given the cost savings inherent in the consumer-directed model, it's clear that employers—especially our largest ones—are increasingly looking to CDHPs to do that.”

The hope is that consumer-directed health plans curb rising premiums for employers while driving employee engagement and responsibility for their health care choices.

The study also found the trend is likely to continue in the near future as well, with 40 percent of employers of all sizes expecting to offer a CDHP in the next five years.

Those plans—and its associated products, such as health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts—have seen massive growth lately.