Did you know that 1 in 8 working adults will be disabled for five years or more during their lifetime? Shocking, right? Having life insurance and health insurance works, but what if the accident or illness leaves you unable to work for an extended time?

For most of us, our most important asset is our ability to work. Individual disability insurance will pay a part of your income when a disease or injury renders you unable to work. With this financial support, the insured person can focus on his recovery. Individual disability insurance is an insurance policy that pays the policyholder financial benefits when he or she suffers a disability for reasons covered by the policy.

Disability Insurance Vs Health & Life insurance

Some people ignore disability insurance reasoning that they already have health insurance or life insurance or perhaps both. Life insurance provides financial support for the family when the policyholder is no more. Health insurance will help to cover what are often exorbitant medical bills. But when the illness or accident leaves the person disabled, it has greater negative financial consequences on the family. The family still has to manage the usual monthly expenditure along with the additional medical, rehabilitative and related expenses for the disabled person and this must be done without the income the family is used to. Having individual disability insurance would replace a part of the lost income. This can take care of financial obligations and also help a family maintain its existing lifestyle.

When Is individual disability insurance Needed?

Age

The chances of a long-term disability are greater than that of premature death. Most people think that disability insurance is for the old since they have an increased risk of developing a disability. But statistics predict that about 1 in 4 of today’s 20 year-olds will experience a disability before they reach the age of 67. Also, younger people are more prone to accidents.

No one would want to see their life’s savings dissolve in a matter of months. Taking out loans would only increase the financial burden. While government disability programs are available, people often find them inadequate. Getting individual disability insurance, while you still can, is the best way to ensure a financial safety net in case of unfortunate incidents.

Career

Some people consider disability insurance useless since they have a safe and steady job. Of course, a writer is less prone to accidents when compared to a construction worker or a cab driver. But one basic fact that most people miss out on is that there are over 37 million Americans with disabilities and about 90% of the disabilities are caused due to illnesses rather than accidents!

Some common causes of disability include arthritis, spine problems, heart trouble and more. Whichever career you have, the risk of developing these illnesses should be taken into account. If you do not want to leave your family’s financial future in jeopardy, then getting individual disability insurance is the best choice.

Bay Area Health Solutions

Gary Church has 19 years of experience in the field of insurance and is an expert on disability insurance matters. His focus is on helping individuals and families understand the benefits and options available to them so that the right disability insurance decisions are made.

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