The consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said U.S. employers could see healthcare costs rise by as much as 9% in 2010 and workers could face an even larger increase.

The firm said one of the main reasons for this increase was increasing medical costs due to rising unemployment as well as the fact that employees concerned about losing their jobs are using their health insurance while it's still available to them.

They added that the cost increase will be offset partly by decline in costs which are anticipated from U.S. health care reforms and the potential for high deductible health plans and wellness programs.

PWC surveyed more than 500 employers and health insurers for the report which showed that 42 % of employers were considering passing on a portion of the cost increase to workers through higher premiums, deductibles or co-payments. 41 % said they would change the design of health care plans to increase medical cost sharing.

In a statement Mike Thompson, principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers global human resource solutions group said, "Employers are squeezing dollars out of their programs to save money. As the economy recovers, employers will refocus on more sustainable longer term approaches to medical cost containment based on an increasingly shared interest between employers and their workers."

He added that intense scrutiny of health-care costs may slow price increases. "Nobody wants to be front page news when all the lights are shining on your industry," he said.