“If you are young and healthy, disability is the furthest thing from your mind,” Bramson said. “People say they work at a desk all day, what could happen to me?”

The majority of all claims are muscular skeletal, but cancer is the No. 2 cause of disabilities, Bramson said.

Myth No. 2:
Your Home is Your Biggest Asset
About 96% of homeowners have homeowners insurance, according to a 2006 Insurance Research Council poll. Ask those homeowners, and they likely will tell you that they are protecting their biggest asset.

They would be wrong.

In reality, your biggest asset is your ability to bring home a paycheck. Because without a paycheck coming in, how could you pay your bills? How could you save for retirement?

A 25-year-old worker who made $50,000 a year before suffering a permanent disability could lose $3.8 million in future earnings, according to the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education. Yet about 70% of the private-sector work force has no long-term disability insurance, according to the Social Security Administration.






By the Numbers

1 in 3
Workers over 30 will suffer a disability that keeps them from working for three months

9 in 10
Disabled workers do not qualify for workers’ compensation (because injury did not happen at work)

90%
Percentage of workers unable to work because of an illness

37%
Percentage of all employees covered by short-term disability insurance through work

Sources: Social Security Administration, American’s Health Insurance Plans, Norton’s Bankruptcy Law Advisor, JHA Disability Study; National Safety Council, Life and Health Foundation for Education, The Council for Disability Awareness Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6