Most people, if asked, are hard pressed to explain what disability insurance really is. It’s actually pretty simple to define: Disability insurance protects your paycheck.
If you become injured or ill and can’t work, disability insurance pays you a portion of your salary until you can return to work. A recent survey found that most people couldn’t make it a month without their paycheck before financial difficulties would set in. So, it’s easy to see how important disability insurance is.
“That’s all fine and well,” you say, “but here’s why I don’t need it.”
Reason #1: “I’m young and healthy. A disability will never happen to me.”
Truth: You actually have a three in 10 chance of suffering a disability that keeps you out of work for 90 days or more at some point during your career, according to a Life Happens survey. You just don’t know which side of that statistic you’ll be on.
Reason #2: “I could rely on government benefits.”
Truth: Most long-term disabilities are a result of an injury or illness that is not work-related, and so wouldn’t qualify forWorkers Compensation. And if you’re counting on Social Security disability benefits, those pay an average of $1,100 a month, which would leave you living right around the poverty level.
Reason #3: “I have disability coverage through work.”
Truth: You may, but it’s more than likely you don’t. Most (70%) private employers don’t offer long-term disability insurance, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The bottom line is this: If you work and rely on your paycheck, you need disability insurance.
NEXT STEPS
What you need to do is:
1. Find out what disability insurance coverage you have at work (short-term, long-term, both or none at all). Your HR department can help you out with that.
2. Make sure you know how much coverage you actually need. (Keep in mind: Your employer may give you coverage as a benefit, but that doesn’t mean it’s enough!)
3. Get an individual disability insurance policy to fill in any gaps you might have to make sure you’re taken care of if something were to happen to you.
Reach out to me for help in finding a policy that fits your needs and your budget.
Baseball great Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Business leaders will encounter many forks in the road in the coming year, and Aflac has taken a look at some of the top benefits-related decisions they’ll face. Among them:
Pay or play?
In 2016, employers with at least 50 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) must offer affordable, minimum-value health coverage to at least 95 percent of their full-time employees and their dependents, or face a penalty. Employers will need to be certain they are providing coverage that meets the law’s requirements. For more information, see five things to know and do to guard against health care reform penalties and calculate your company’s FTEs with the FTE calculator.
2. Make voluntary insurance part of the benefits package?
Because of the steady upward climb in health care costs, shifting expenses to employees is becoming a significant concern. It’s no surprise that benefits option
s such as voluntary insurance are quickly becoming key components of comprehensive benefits packages. Just how critical will these options be? According to the Aflac WorkForces Report, nearly 9 in 10 employees (88 percent) at least somewhat agree they consider voluntary part of a comprehensive benefits package and 64 percent see a growing need for voluntary today compared to past years. To learn more, see “What is voluntary insurance and why do employees need it?”
To learn more about the remaining six questions your company may face – along with the solutions – keep reading.
Aflac now has ONE DAY PAY on claims! Check out the new Aflac commercial! Contact me if would would like to learn more about Aflac Insurance coverage. #AflacDuck
What’s worse? Taxes, a dental visit or health insurance? Survey finds Americans really hate shopping for health insurance!
Everyone knows shopping for health insurance isn’t fun, but it’s not as bad as doing your own taxes, right? Wrong. A recent Bankrate survey found that Americans hate shopping for health insurance. Make that really hate shopping for health insurance. They hate it so much that 75 percent of survey participants said comparing health plans is as bad as or worse than doing their own taxes.
Yep, shopping for insurance is apparently beyond awful. It’s so awful that 73 percent of participants said it’s as bad as or worse than being stuffed in the middle seat of an airplane, while 64 percent said it’s as bad as or worse than having a tooth filled. Read more…
The number of employers offering voluntary health insurance benefits as part of their overall benefits package grew by 9% in 2014 compared to 2012, according to a study by Aflac, a major provider of voluntary options.
Aflac’s release announcing the results of the survey didn’t say whether employee demand or employer plan design changes is the primary driver of this uptick. But Aflac noted that 42% of respondents said they weren’t prepared to pay the out-of-pocket costs associated with a serious illness or accident, precisely the kinds of events voluntary options cover.
Further, the research found that employees who work for an employer that includes voluntary benefits in their plan report being more satisfied with the jobs than workers who don’t have access to voluntary options.
The satisfaction quotient cited by Aflac suggested a true link between voluntary benefits and employee happiness exists.
“According to the Aflac study, when compared to workers who are not offered voluntary insurance options, employees who are enrolled in voluntary insurance are 18% more likely to be extremely or very satisfied with their jobs.”
Other survey highlights include:
38% more likely to be extremely or very satisfied with the overall benefits package offered to them.
19% less likely to be extremely or very likely to look for another job in the next 12 months.
64% more likely to completely or strongly agree they feel fully protected by their current insurance coverage.
To learn more about the remaining six questions your company may face – along with the solutions – 
