Today is officially the first day of Fall – woohoo! Plus, our son Liam turned ONE yesterday. As a Mom to a little one, I like to have coverage for the unexpected things that come along in life. Our little guy is doing great so far but you never know if he will need medical procedures or if he will get sick for an extended period of time and need my care. Although we pray that none of these things happen, they very well could and I want to be prepared. Further, a few years ago I had a spinal fusion and the time off work was hard for our family – I didn’t have enough leave from work which made it challenging to take 8 weeks off. If we would’ve had short term disability insurance or something like that I would’ve been able to focus more on the recovery than I did previously. My surgery was a success and we made it the 8 weeks I was out of work – and this little guy, Liam, joined our family in 2014! I am thankful for the surgery as there is no way I could’ve carried him or delivered him with the way my back was. Short term disability is one of those things that I think is priceless, because it can benefit you in ways you never thought you’d need.
There are many reasons to have insurance outside of what you may have through your employer and one of those is for situations that are out of your control. I’m excited to share a little about Aflac‘s Short Term Disability Insurance offer and their Fall 2015 Open Enrollment.
For most U.S. companies, fall marks open enrollment season, a time when workers can review their employer-sponsored benefits offerings and choose the health insurance policies that best meet their financial and health care needs. Selecting the right health care benefits may be one of the most important decisions Americans will make all year. However, an Aflac survey found that many workers do very little research to learn which plans and products really work best for them. In fact, 34 percent of employees spent 15 minutes or less researching their benefit options in 2014. Those who don’t set aside time to research their insurance options often end up with inadequate health care protection for themselves and their families.
You never know when you’ll need insurance there to fall back on. You never know when you’ll need to care for a loved one or even yourself. It is wise to have insurance there to help you through that trying time. When an unforeseen medical event occurs, many people are often faced with paying copayments, deductibles or treatment costs not covered by major medical insurance, as well as other daily living expenses – all while paying increasing health insurance premiums. According to a recent Aflac survey, 66 percent of workers would not be able to adjust to the large financial costs associated with a serious injury or illness, and 49 percent have less than $1,000 on hand to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses. Voluntary policies, which complement major medical coverage, are specifically designed to help pay for out-of-pocket expenses that can be associated with an unexpected illness or injury. In addition, the cash benefits can be used to help pay rent, gas, groceries, child care or any other out-of-pocket expenses that continue to roll in even if someone is too sick or injured to work.
Many people mistakenly believe that the Social Security Administration will provide adequate financial assistance if they become disabled, but that’s not true in all cases. In fact, more than 59 percent of disability claims are denied by the Social Security Administration.
- In addition, workers’ compensation only covers on-the-job injuries and disabilities, and considering that off-the-job injuries are three times more common than on-the-job injuries, having disability insurance can help you avoid devastating financial situations resulting from an unexpected accident that may leave you unable to work.
- Short-Term Disability insurance pays a percentage of your income if you are unable to work due to a covered illness or injury. Benefits are paid directly to you, unless otherwise assigned, to help cover things like deductibles, car payments, utility bills and more.
- Those who should consider this product –
- Parents with young children and/or other dependents
- Those who agree they should take better care of their health (feel stressed or need more sleep and a better diet).
Aflac offers a variety of insurance options including short term disability. These options can help you have less stress when those unexpected life events come up. I wasn’t sure that Liam’s birth would be easy or if there would be complications. There are so many uncertain things in life that you can never full prepare for. Why not take some of that worry out and explore Aflac’s Fall 2015 Open Enrollment.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.