Open enrollment or a root canal? Some young Americans prefer the latter

America’s younger workers find the open enrollment process so difficult that 12% said they’d rather have a root canal than select health insurance. Nearly one-quarter would rather sit in the middle seat on a three-hour flight and 10% would rather break their arm, according to a survey commissioned by Justworks.

More than half of Millennials and Gen-Zers (collectively Zillennials) who participate in open enrollment said they have blindly chosen a health insurance plan in the past because they didn’t understand the complicated terms and definitions. This is more than double the percentage of Gen X and older adults who say they have done so, the survey found.

Further, nearly half of Zillennials say they regret certain decisions they made about their health insurance plan during open enrollment, compared to less than one-quarter of Gen X and older workers. 

“The data reveals a significant gap in health insurance knowledge and confidence among employees, particularly younger employees who may be experiencing the open enrollment process for the first time,” said Julia D’Amico, vice president of benefits products, at Justworks. “Over half of employees admit to blindly making their plan choices, which can lead to overpaying for unnecessary health services, with nearly half of employees regretting their open enrollment decisions.”

Forty-four percent of Zillennials said they seek help with open enrollment from their insurance provider, family members, friends, HR department and even artificial intelligence. Gen Z adults were more likely than Millennials to ask others for recommendations as their primary approach during open enrollment, and nearly half of Zillennials say they’ve relied on advice from their parents when selecting their health insurance plan. 

Related: Open enrollment 101, Pt 1: Industry experts’ best tips

Despite wanting help, nearly half of Zillennials indicated they are not sure where to direct their questions about the open enrollment process, compared with one-quarter of Gen X or older employees. Perhaps not surprisingly, the majority of Zillennials think HR departments should provide more help during the open enrollment process.

“Coupled with the fact that one-quarter of Zillennial workers say that they would rather apply for a new job than select health insurance, there is a huge opportunity for employers to simplify the open enrollment process, provide clearer resources, and offer the proper support channels for this generation to take control of their benefits with confidence,” said D’Amico.

Justworks is offering an open enrollment hotline October 21 through October 24 to help those confused about open enrollment or health insurance generally.