1 in 6 dislike their job but stay for health benefits

Over 1 in 10 self-employed individuals said they’ll be without health insurance in 2024.

Health care and health coverage is never an easy topic. It’s an election issue, it’s a kitchen table issue and, of course, it’s an issue at work. A new survey by BuzzRx of 1,012 full-time employees and 137 self employed people showed that 1 in 6 dislike their job but stay for health benefits. Interestingly, of those, 22% of people in finance were more likely to keep a job they don’t like versus the tech sector, where only 14% of people would stay in a dead-end job.

The top five priorities for the future of health insurance, according to the survey, are:

Of course one size does not fit all. Attitudes about the prioritization of aspects of an employer-sponsored health insurance plan varied greatly by generation.

More than half of Gen Zers (55%) are concerned about their future health coverage, as many are just starting to lose access to their parent’s health coverage. Nearly a third (30%) of Gen Z are overwhelmed by the complexity of insurance plans, and 26% worried they might not have access to mental health services.

Looking ahead, over 1 in 10 self-employed individuals said they’ll be without health insurance in 2024, underlining the vulnerability of the independent workforce. The draw of employer-sponsored health insurance remains strong, with nearly 3 in 10 self-employed workers conceding that it might sway them to abandon their solo ventures in favor of this valuable benefit.

A very sombre point in the survey is that Gen Z was also 121% more likely than millennials to desire support for psychiatric medications. Many of these medications for depression and anxiety, require a medical specialist to prescribe them. After that, it’s a matter of whether or not the insurance provider will cover the prescribed medication.

Related: Voluntary benefit offerings expand to address health care costs in tight labor market

Millennials appeared to possess a relative edge in understanding these complexities. They were 13% more likely than Gen Z to say they’re informed about the American health insurance system. Millennials were also nearly as interested as Gen Z in using mobile apps for prescription reminders and appointment scheduling (18% compared to 20%) and in online tools for managing insurance claims and health records (21% compared to 24%).

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