Almost 60 percent of respondents to a poll by the Society for Human Resource Management said they're "not comfortable" with their knowledge of consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), and this could explain why these plans are slowly being implemented.

Less than half of respondents (42 percent) to the poll (which was sponsored by Aetna) said they offer CDHPs. "This type of health plan can be more complicated than a traditional plan, which is why they are only slowly growing in usage,"  says Mark Schmit, SHRM's director of research. "Still, the greater investment in implementation and communication can be well worth it for both employees and organizations."

Another reason companies are hesitant to offer CDHPs is because they don't want to disrupt the status quo regarding their employees' health benefit options. Almost half (49 percent) of HR professionals say their organization does not offer a CDHP because most employees are satisfied with their current health care benefits plan.