Getting a cavity filled. Doing your taxes. Sitting on a middle seat of the airplane. What do all those things have in common?
In the minds of Americans, they're all preferable activities to shopping for health insurance.
A new Bankrate survey goes into the hated activity of shopping for health insurance, just as the second enrollment season under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is underway. Bankrate's findings reveal that 68 percent said shopping for health coverage is just as bad or worse than common hated activities.
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Specifically, the survey found:
- 75 percent of respondents said comparing health plans is as bad or worse than doing their own taxes;
- 73 percent said it is as bad or worse than being stuffed into the middle seat on an airplane;
- 64 percent said it is as bad or worse than having a tooth filled.
The strong sentiments pose yet another problem for Obamacare, Bankrate analysts said, especially because the administration poured money and efforts into improving the PPACA shopping experience in year two.
After the tumultuous launch of HealthCare.gov last year, officials largely fixed the site, but many consumers still said they are weary of it and are avoiding buying insurance. A Gallup poll last month found that one-third of the nation's uninsured said they would forgo buying health coverage and would instead pay the fine mandated by the law.
The report, based on a survey by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, found that 32 percent of Americans now feel "more negative" than they did a year ago about the PPACA's impact on their own health care. However, desire for repeal is down, as only 26 percent want it repealed, down from 30 percent in June.
Doug Whiteman, Bankrate.com insurance analyst, stressed that shopping around for health coverage is vital despite lack of consumer enthusiasm.
"Shopping for health insurance can be complicated, but it's one of the most important decisions you can make," Whiteman said. "If you have the wrong coverage or no health insurance at all, you could be just one illness or injury away from massive medical bills. It's much better to go through the pain of researching and choosing a plan now than it is to figure out how you're going to pay for an unexpected hospital visit during an emergency."
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