Who needs disability insurance?
Disability and the ensuing loss of income has huge financial implications that few are prepared for.
Without the ability to obtain a steady income, workers may fall behind on payments.
In fact, about 77 percent of consumers said they would not be able to pay their bills for more than a year if they suffered a loss of income, according to the Council for Disability Awareness.
However, the time those who are disabled are out of work is often more than two years, according to the CDA.
The recent Disability Insurance Awareness Month highlighted the the importance of coverage in case you are unable to work.
If you have to spend days, months, or even years away from the office, disability insurance could give you the funds to cover that loss of income and pay your bills.
Here are 10 expenses you need to prepare for in case of a disability:
1. Medical Costs
Once you experience a disability, you may be required to visit specialists, perform medical tests, and buy medications to help you recover and treat your condition.
If you don’t have enough funds in your savings, you may end up resorting to putting charges on your credit card—and you could go into medical debt.
About 43 million consumers have delinquent medical debt on their credit reports, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
2. Loss of Income
In the case of disability, not only would you have to cope with medical bills stemming from your injury or illness, you would also have to deal with income losses from missing work and recovering.
The loss of several paychecks—or more, depending on how long you are out of work—is not to be taken lightly.
3. Utility Bills
A leave of absence from work and the subsequent loss of income may make it harder to pay for gas, heating and electricity.
Do you have enough emergency savings to cover what could potentially be many months of utility bills?
4. Rent or Mortgage
Housing is usually the biggest single expense for consumers. You could risk eviction or foreclosure if you fall behind on your rent or mortgage.
Since a disability stretching for more than two-and-a-half years could equal 135 weeks of missed paychecks, you may have to dip into your savings to pay for your housing.
5. Internet and Phone
If you were disabled and couldn’t work, you would still need to account for the services provided by your Internet and phone companies.
You could choose to cut your service package or switch to a lower-cost plan.
6. Food Expenditures
Disabilities often bring on a change in both your budget and your health situation. In this case, you may need to either reduce your food or your dining out expenses.
Consider, too: Depending on your diagnosis and the recommendations of your doctor, you might have to switch to a special diet to accommodate your medical condition.
7. Transportation and Gas
If you were disabled, you would need to take into consideration how you would get to and from doctor’s appointments, the pharmacy, and other places. If you were to find a car too expensive, you might opt to take public transportation instead.
8. Insurance
Although insurance—health, car, home, renter’s, and other policies—often only makes a small dent in your regular paychecks, in the case of a loss of income, you would still need to take this expense into consideration.
Add up how much you would require in cash reserves to stay current on insurance for a yearlong disability or longer.
9. Child Care
If you were disabled with a condition that would mean you needed more child care services, you would need to budget for this higher cost.
For example, if you were disabled, you may need someone else to watch over your children while you visit doctors and other medical appointments.
10. Fees and Interest
While you could put all your household bills on your credit cards, this may be an unsustainable way to pay your expenses in the case of a loss of income.
Not only would you have to deal with rising payments from interest, you also risk having fees from overdrawing on your limit.
All of these considerations make a loss of income resulting from disability a big challenge. But if you carry the proper income protection coverage, you could get back on the job without the added stress of bills piling up in the background.
A version of this article recently appeared on the Colonial Life blog.
Image via www.freeimages.com
About Council for Disability Awareness
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