There Isn’t Much Scarier
I’m not talking about ghosts or goblins or anything supernatural, but there isn’t much scarier than losing your physical ability to earn a living. Disablement is an unfortunate natural phenomenon. It is a regular part of life, of many lives in fact, in this country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 27% of U.S. residents suffer some form of disability every year, and almost 18% of Americans are undergoing severe, long-term disablement. The statistics for working adults are slightly less alarming, but nonetheless worthy of sincere consideration. According to the Council for Disability Awareness, more than 25% of today’s 20-year-olds can expect to be out of work for at least a year due to a disabling event during their entire career. Furthermore, almost 6% of working Americans suffer short-term disablement every year.
Contrary to popular opinion, disabilities don’t usually come from freak accidents or unlucky work-related injuries. Most clinical short and long-term disablements are non-occupational and arise from illnesses or degenerative disorders like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and muscular and skeletal degeneration.
The research, collected data and published statistics, no matter the relevant and trustworthy sources, all point to the serious, widespread problem of disability in the U.S. Over 380,000 Americans filed for bankruptcy last year with the primary underlying causes being medical bills, lost employment and illness or injury. Employer-provided worker’s compensation and governmental benefits hardly provide substantial monetary relief for most occurrences of disablement. The practical solution is individual and/or group disability insurance at levels sufficient to provide for oneself and one’s family in time of unforeseen and unexpected loss of ability to work and earn an income.
The foundation of most of our freedom in this country is our natural ability to make a suitable living and earn a paycheck. Disability is scary and it’s a reality. Disability insurance is the safeguard.