Large private-sector employers are turning increasingly to self-insured health plans, according to a new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

In 2011, 59 percent of workers with health coverage were in self-insured plans, up from 41 percent in 1998, the report finds. Researchers predict the trend will continue as employers look for ways to control health care costs. That’s driven even more by the fact that the report notes that many employers expect health reform components will work to drive up the cost of health coverage.

“Employers generally, and small employers particularly, concerned about the rising cost of providing health coverage may view self-insurance as a better way to control expected cost increases,” says Paul Fronstin, director of EBRI’s Health Research and Education Program and author of the report. “This new analysis provides a baseline against which to measure future trends.”