New research reveals a persistent confidence gap – employees don’t feel ready to navigate benefits decisions they don’t understand, and employers are paying the price

PLANO, Texas, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Selerix, a leading provider of benefits administration and ACA compliance solutions, today announced the release of its second annual Selerix Employee Benefits Survey, subtitled The Confidence Gap in Benefits Decisions.

The report, based on a 2026 survey of employed U.S. adults, examines why benefits regret remains high — and what employers and brokers can do to close the gap between the benefits they offer and the experience employees have.

The survey’s findings point to a consistent underlying dynamic: employees are navigating high-stakes enrollment decisions without adequate support, and the consequences show up in the form of regret, delayed care, and reduced engagement with their employer. The issue, the data suggests, is less about what benefits are offered and more about how employees are guided through choosing and using them.

Key findings include:

• Benefits regret remains unchanged — 35% of employees regret the choices they made during their last open enrollment — the same figure as last year. The consistency of that number across two surveys suggests that without deliberate changes to how enrollment is designed and delivered, improvement is unlikely.
• Employee confidence significantly outpaces actual understanding — 46% of employees feel confident managing their benefits independently, while only 23% report that they genuinely understand them. That 23-point gap is where regret accumulates, care decisions get deferred, and employers’ benefits investments fail to generate a meaningful return.
• Personalization has an outsized effect on satisfaction — Employees who described their open enrollment as extremely personalized reported very high satisfaction at 76%, compared to just 20% among those who experienced no personalization — a 56-point difference driven by experience quality rather than plan design.
• Benefits communications are not reliably reaching employees when it matters — 41% of employees planned to return to a benefits message and never did. Only 20% say communications consistently arrive when they are ready to act. Most communication strategies are not dependably closing the gap between awareness and action.
• Among employees likely to leave, the primary response to benefits is disengagement, not dissatisfaction — Among employees very likely to stay with their employer, 82% are very satisfied with their benefits. Among those unlikely to stay, the dominant response is low engagement and indifference rather than frustration—a quieter but equally significant signal, particularly given that half of all employees report that benefits have influenced a job decision.
• Uncertainty about the rules is suppressing employee behavior — 36% of employees avoided changing their benefits because they were unsure of what was permitted — behavior that may not be reflected in engagement data but can result in coverage gaps and missed qualifying life events.

“Last year we asked employees whether their benefits were working. This year we asked why not,” said Tim Pratte, CEO of Selerix. “The answer, consistently, is that employees are making consequential decisions without real guidance and living with the results. That is a solvable problem — one that clearer decision support, more personalized communication, and year-round engagement can address. That is what the data points toward, and it is what Selerix is built to deliver.”

The report also examines how the challenge differs meaningfully by generation. Younger employees tend to be confused and under-supported; mid-career employees carry the highest rates of regret and the greatest number of missed workdays; and older employees have largely disengaged from the benefits experience. The findings suggest that a single enrollment strategy is unlikely to serve all three groups effectively.

For brokers, the survey identifies a tangible client retention opportunity. The friction employees experience during enrollment and beyond is not primarily a product problem — it stems from gaps in communication, decision support, and year-round engagement. Addressing those gaps is a conversation brokers are well-positioned to lead, and one worth having before the issues surface as escalations, complaints, or lost renewals.

The Selerix Employee Benefits Survey was conducted in early 2026 among 622 employed U.S. adults across industries, roles, and income levels, with a margin of error of +2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

The full report — including all seven findings, broker perspectives, generational data, and employer action plans — is available for download at selerix.com/employee-benefits-survey. 

About Selerix
Selerix turns benefits into a connected, year-round experience that employees can understand. Our powerful, all-in-one, AI-enhanced platform streamlines enrollment, boosts data accuracy, and empowers employees with smart decision-support tools and personalized benefits education. From ACA compliance to seamless benefits communication, we simplify complex benefits and HR processes. Trusted by brokers, carriers, and 26,000+ employers serving 14 million enrollees, including 1 in 4 U.S. companies that count on Selerix for ACA, Selerix delivers a flexible, intuitive solution and best-in-class service that takes the hassle out of benefits management. Ready to simplify benefits? Learn more at selerix.com.

Contacts 
Jill Crawford
Selerix
jill.crawford@selerix.com

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SOURCE Selerix