Nifty Insurance Blogger

Making fiscal arrangements if you are unable to work should not be left to when you have a spare five minutes so disability insurance needs be taken seriously; just a few weeks off from work without pay can see families end up in debt. This allows a person who is incapacitated to get well without having to worry about how their family will survive. The chances of dying before 65 are actually lower than the possibility of needing disability protection before then!

It is an unfortunate fact that most people think they have a greater chance of dying than being laid off work through disability so life insurance policies are more popular. Despite statistics showing that a middle aged worker has a greater chance of needing a 3 month break from work because of an accident as opposed to dying before they reach 65, is almost impossible. The problem is disability insurance costs more than basic life cover as it is costlier to provide.

Premiums are based on many characteristics like age, occupation, health and the calculations of potential lost income. There are a few ways of reducing the costs with the main one being selecting a longer period of time or waiting period before the plan starts to pay; with this in place there is less probability of the claimant making a claim. Alternatively the policy holder could request a shorter cover period which would only cater for short periods off work; with this arrangement the risk is placed squarely on the shoulders of the claimant who will need to find additional income if the incapacity period is long.

Whatever your situation though, common plans usually cover only a specific percentage of your original salary. There are two policy options available; the first is short term disability insurance which only covers the claimant for a few months of incapacity. Total disability cover is in force for a longer period albeit at a reduced rate but the onus is on the claimant to prove they can no longer perform the work they carried out before.

Whatever the situation, a person making a claim owing to incapacitation will be sent a disability benefit check every month until the end of the plan or they return to work. Other key points to consider when looking into health policies are if there are restrictions on:

• If there are any medical restrictions
• Monthly benefit payment is taxable or tax free
• Time frames for benefits
• Your own occupation versus any occupation

Each policy is different so the amount of salary the disability insurance plan will pay will depend entirely on the policy you decide to go with. With some providers giving 70 percent of the original salary, you will have to watch out for those who will only provide you with a very low 40 percent which could cause financial hardship. More than any other factor, it is this one that you need to be sure of as once you have taken out the plan and found it necessary to make a claim, it will be too late for you to change it.