Understanding Disability Insurance

Answer 1

Statistics indicate that a disabling accident takes place every four seconds in the United States. Disability insurance, often referred to as disability income insurance is a type of insurance that provides monetary compensation to an individual who can no longer work and earn a living due to a disability acquired through no fault of his or her own. Disability insurance is one of the oldest types of insurance in existence.

Types of Disability Insurance

Many companies provide health insurance for their employees, especially if the individual is performing potentially risky tasks as part of his or her job description. Accidents at work are a common reason for a person becoming disabled so it is not surprising that many employers offer such insurance. Workers' Compensation is also a form of disability insurance which was created to prevent litigation in the case of work related accidents. It is mandatory in every state in one form or another and benefits can be temporary or long-term depending on the nature of the disability.

Senior citizens who are no longer covered under employment benefits have the option of purchasing their own policies from a private insurance company. Costs and benefits for such coverage vary significantly between the numerous agencies from which one has to choose. Typically, premiums will be more costly for coverage that provides higher monthly payments to the insured. Disability insurance will also cost more for policies that begin payments to the insured immediately following a disability, as opposed to those that feature a long waiting period.

Government Disability Programs

In most of the developed world, some form of disability insurance is provided for citizens by the national government. The United States version is Social Security Disability Insurance--SSDI--and Supplemental Security Income--SSI. This insurance provides a safety net for those who are uninsured or under insured. The benefits offered are not large but will, in most cases, prevent abject poverty. However, living slightly above poverty level is not appealing to most people and it is for this reason that many individuals choose to purchase private disability insurance. The price for disability insurance purchased from a private agency increases as a person ages, therefore, privately held policies should be purchased as early in life as possible in order to get the best rates.