Disability Insurance: Being Prepared Before An Injury
Disability Insurance Explanation
These days, most people live paycheck to paycheck and if they get sick for a week, and don’t have disability insurance, they’re in big trouble. Losing out on even just one paycheck can have devastating effects on some families. And you never know when you’re going to come down with a bug that puts you in bed for a week. That’s why it’s so important that you have disability insurance.
If you’re like most people you’ve probably gone to work against your doctors orders more than once so you can keep that paycheck coming in. Doctors are great at telling you to stay at home for a few days, get some rest, and drink plenty of fluids. But they never seem to be able to tell you who’s going to pay their bill if you do that. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid. It’s just that simple.
Long Term Disability
And what happens if you need to be off even longer than a week? You might be able to scrape by to the end of the month if you miss one paycheck? But what if you miss 4? Or maybe even 6? The standard recovery time from most surgeries is at least 6 weeks. Even for broken bones and minor surgeries. Can you family survive 6 weeks without your paycheck? Probably not if you’re already running out of money before the end of the month.
But what if it’s not you who winds up out of commission? What if it’s one of your kids who has to be down for a few weeks? Or, worse yet, hospitalized? You certainly don’t want to leave your child alone in a hospital all day. Who knows what would happen these days? Yet, if you take that time off of work, how will you pay your day-to-day bills?
Health Insurance Isn’t Enough
If you’re sick at home for a week, or hospitalized for several weeks, your health insurance will kick in and pick up at least a portion of your medical expenses. But health insurance does nothing about covering your mortgage or rental payment, your car payment, your utility bills or even food. And those are the bills you really need to cover, or you and your family might end up out on the street.
It’s a constant worry for a lot of people these days. What happens is you or someone you love gets sick and you are unable to work? Most of us, when we suffer an illness or injury, push ourselves way beyond reasonable limits just so we can keep getting that paycheck. But if we don’t, the results can be disastrous. More than one family has found themselves homeless because someone became ill and couldn’t work.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Disability insurance helps cover those bills that your health insurance won’t. It allows you to take the time off work to care for yourself or your loved ones. Ask your insurance provider about disability insurance and start getting some quotes from other providers, too, so you can put that worry out of your mind.