In the past, many employers simply shifted more health-care costs to employees, hoping this would make them more cost-conscious.

Even so, consumers did not see more money in their pockets, because many employers shifted costs to their workers.

Many employers have shifted financial risk to workers with individual savings plans that offer no income guarantees.

Demand may again drop, he said, if employers shift more of the cost of going to a hospital onto their employees.

He said employers were increasingly shifting from programs to restrict spending on drugs to "disease management," which focuses on total cost.

This credit would encourage employers to shift more of their health care expenses onto their low-paid workers.

As a result, employers - the main providers of health care coverage in the United States - are shifting more benefit costs to their workers.

The relentless rise in health care costs was interrupted as many employers shifted to health maintenance organizations.

Under the rules, employers cannot shift all costs to retirees.

As employers shift an increasing share of health costs to workers, a growing number need to put aside money to pay those bills, he said.