The recession is bolstering interest in employer-based and individual consumer-directed health plans, according to new research.

Employers have been increasingly attracted to the CDHP option as a means of cutting costs, although adoption lagged in the Northeast primarily because price increases weren’t as severe as in other markets.

The individual CDHP market is also growing as the unemployed look for affordable health insurance options, according to a study from HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a provider of managed care market intelligence.

A recent Health Plan Analysis report from the company suggests employers will continue to utilize account-based and high-deductible options in light of strained budgets and anticipated increases in premiums.

“We’re seeing increases in CDHP enrollment across the board, both in places like Minnesota where employers were early-adopters of high-deductible plans and now in areas like North Carolina that have been hit hard by the economic downturn,” said Paula Wade, assistant director of the Health Plan Analysis, in a statement. “What remains to be seen is how the federal COBRA subsidy will reduce demand for individual consumer-driven plans, as more workers elect to continue group benefits through COBRA instead of choosing an individual CDHP.”

The federal subsidy for COBRA insurance is part of the federal stimulus package and includes a 65% subsidy on the cost of COBRA premiums for up to nine months.