OFF BEAT: Health insurance not a favorite of American shoppers

With all the news and chatter about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the like, one might think America’s national pastime was shopping, not baseball — except when it comes to buying health insurance.

That piece of business is likened by most Americans to onerous tasks like doing one’s own taxes or visiting the dentist.

Fully 82% of Americans who recently shopped for health insurance said it was worse than doing their own taxes, according to a new poll by Bankrate.com that was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

The survey also showed that 75% of Americans see shopping for health insurance as the same or worse than getting the middle seat on a crowded airplane.

As for the dentist — perhaps the gold standard for judging misery — fully 23% of those who recently shopped for health insurance said it was less enjoyable than facing the dentist’s drill, while 45% say it’s just as bad.

There were no figures available on comparisons with flossing.