Do you work for a hospital, medical group or medical center?
If so, as an employed physician, it’s likely you have disability insurance. It’s also likely that your coverage is provided as part of your group benefits package.
And while this may be a valuable benefit for most working physicians, we find that many of our members may not be aware that the disability insurance provided by their employer can have certain limitations.
The face of medicine is changing. What used to be a male-dominated field is undergoing a historic shift. According to initial enrollment data, at medical schools across Texas women are expected to comprise the majority of the graduating class of 2021.
Whether you are a new physician or one of the many women who paved the way leading to this moment, you can be proud of the accomplishment.
The rates for you are very likely higher than those paid by your male colleagues.
In some cases, 40% – 50% higher*. This is what some call a “pink tax’ – a surcharge based solely on the fact that you are a woman. Why is this so? Because statistically, insurance companies find women physicians become disabled more than their male colleagues.
If you’re like many physicians, you probably purchased your disability insurance policy earlier in your career. At the time, you might have opted for a smaller benefit – because your income was lower, your family was smaller and the premiums were less expensive.
For that reason, your agent or broker might have recommended that you purchase a Future Increase Option (FIO).
When you chose to become a physician, you accepted tremendous responsibility. In many ways, you allowed yourself to become accountable for others’ lives, while at times putting your own health and safety at risk. Though there is an inherent risk in your profession - particularly now due to the Coronavirus - serious illness or injury could happen to any person in their day-to-day life.
As a female physician you’ve worked incredibly hard to be where you are today. Whether you own a thriving practice, or work in a large medical center or hospital, you’ve put in the hours, jumped the hurdles, met the challenges – in short, you’ve paid your dues. So why shouldn’t you be able to get more affordable rates for disability insurance?
The financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on virtually everyone, including physicians. As a result, many are looking to eliminate or minimize some of their major personal expenses.
We understand that at this time you may be concerned about the cost of your disability insurance – and the challenge of making regular premium payments.
For physicians working right now in Texas these are sobering times. You are likely to be treating patients who either have the coronavirus or may have been exposed to it.
That means every day you go to work you are at risk of exposure to the virus.
Have you considered what would happen if you were one of those unfortunate enough to contract a disabling case of COVID-19?
Beyond the devastating impact to your physical health, what would happen to your finances if you could not work and stopped receiving a paycheck? What would that mean for your family?
