You buy insurance to protect your house because where would you live if something happened?
You buy insurance to protect your car because how would you get work, school or church without your car?
So how do you pay for the house insurance, the car insurance, food, gas, utilities, medical insurance/bills and your kid’s sports programs? The simple answer is with your paycheck. But what happens when you stop getting a paycheck? You can’t pay for any of the above if you become disabled during your working years. You need “paycheck protection” so you can continue to pay for those necessary bills. That’s simply what disability insurance is… it’s paycheck protection.
May is Disability Awareness Month and we’re here to help!
According to a recent study, most people estimate they have only a 16% chance of becoming disabled during their working years1 – in spite of the following startling facts2:
If you’re under age 35, chances are one in three that you will be disabled for at least six months during the course of your career.
Men have a 43% chance of becoming seriously disabled during their working years.
Women have a 54% chance.
At age 42, it is four times more likely that you will become seriously disabled than that you will die during your working years.
Three in 10 workers entering the workforce today will become disabled before retiring. – Social Security Administration, Fact Sheet January 31, 2007
An illness or accident will keep 1 in 5 workers out of work for at least a year before the age of 65. – Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, November 2005
One in 7 workers can expect to be disabled for five years or more before retirement. – “Commissioners Disability Table, 1998,” Health Insurance Association of America, the New York Times, February 2000
71% of American employees live from paycheck to paycheck. – American Payroll Association, “Getting Paid in America” Survey, 2008
Disability causes nearly 50% of all mortgage foreclosures, 2% are caused by death. – Health Affairs, the Policy Journal of the Health Sphere, 2 February 2005
Close to 90% of disabling accidents and illnesses are not work related. – National Safety Council, Injury Facts 2008 Ed.
Less than half – 39% – of the 2.1 million workers who applied for SSDI benefits in 2005 were approved. – Social Security Administration, Office of Disability and Income Security Program
Over 51 million Americans are classified as disabled, representing 18 percent of the population. – U.S. Census Bureau, Public Information Office, November 2008
In the U.S., a disabling injury occurs every 1 second, a fatal injury occurs every 4 minutes. National Safety Council, Injury Facts 2008 Ed
Unexpected illnesses and injuries cause 350,000 personal bankruptcies each year. – “Illness and Injury as Contributors to Bankruptcy,” Health Affairs, February 2, 2005
In the last 10 minutes, 498 Americans became disabled. – National Safety Council, Injury Facts 2008 Ed
The average long-term disability absence lasts 2.5 years. – Commissioner’s Individual Disability Table A
70% of the private sector workforce has no long-term disability insurance. – Social Security Administration, Fact Sheet January 31, 2007
According to the Federal Reserve, 44% of U.S. families spend more than they earn. – Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances 2004
Over 50% of the workforce has no private pension coverage and a third have no retirement savings. – Social Security Administration, Fact Sheet 2007
Sources:
Gallup survey, conducted for UNUM Corporation (508 respondents, aged 30 to 65), reported by Best’s Review.}
“Why Disability” booklet, published by National Underwrite.
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