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Aflac survey links Gen Z cancer screening avoidance to rising stop-loss risk
The survey of 2,000 employed US adults found Gen Z and millennials increasingly start with AI for health questions, and 76% of Gen Z use AI before seeking medical care.
Nearly 90% of Gen Z workers who later received a cancer diagnosis reported that they had avoided cancer screening beforehand, according to a nationally representative survey of 2,000 employed US adults conducted in March 2026 by Kantar Profiles on behalf of Aflac Incorporated, as detailed by Insurance Business.
The report highlighted a broader knowledge and behavior gap, with 46% of Americans overall saying they do not know when to begin cancer screenings, and with 65% of Gen Z and 61% of millennials admitting to delaying or skipping routine checkups and screenings.
Insurance Business also connected the screening pattern to stop-loss exposure trends, citing QBE North America’s 2026 Accident and Health Market Report showing neoplasms as the leading diagnosis in stop-loss claim reimbursements, at 36% across all deductible levels. At the $200,000 deductible level, neoplasm claim severity increased 12% versus prior-year averages, while frequency rose nearly 30%.
The article said the behavioral driver is how younger workers use digital tools, noting that 76% of Gen Z and 63% of millennials use AI as a first step for health support before seeking professional care. Aflac’s chief human resources officer and chief administrative officer, Matthew Owenby, said the digital trend is not inherently problematic, but the rate of delayed or skipped preventive care reduces opportunities for early detection.