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Friday, April 3, 2009

Disability Insurance: What You Need to Know

By Irene Mmari

Making fiscal arrangements if you are incapable of working should not be forgotten to when you have a spare five minutes and so disability insurance needs be taken seriously, A scenario where a person, who brings money into the house, cannot work is one that is played out by thousands every day. This type of situation causes additional tension so disability protection can act as a safety net while you are incapacitated. Statistics show that a person is more likely to have an extended break period from their normal work place, owing to accident or injury, and need disability cover, than they are to die before they reach 65 years old.

However, more people buy life insurance long before considering the advantages of disability insurance coverage. Trying to convince a worker of forty they will in all likelihood need 90 days off through injury before they retire is hard work. Searching for a low disability insurance premium is a key element as it costs more to run this type of plan.

Although calculating the premium can be a complex process, the largest element involved is the income level the claimant needs. One method of lowering the policy premium is arranging for the plan to 'kick in' only after the incapacity has lasted for a set period of time.And so effectively reducing the possibility of claiming on the insurance. Alternatively the policy holder could call for a shorter cover period which would only cater for short periods off work, This can be a risky move if the period of incapacity is longer than the period arranged for payment.

Almost all policies are based on a percentage of salary so even with this protection a certain shortfall will exist. the short term will only cover a set number of months but may have improved benefits. 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.

Irrespective of the type of policy you have, payments for disability are made regularly, every week or month until the end of the incapacitation or the insurance policy, whichever come first. Some key issues to study in health policies include:

Restrictions on Pre-existing medical conditions Whether the income is taxable Time frames before benefits are terminated Whether your occupation will increase the price of premiums

Remember that not all disability policies will cover you with the same percentage of your original salary. These percentages vary and payouts can be anywhere from 40 to 70 percent, therefore don't neglect this important detail. More than any other element, 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.

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