Disability Insurance and Irks from the Dentist chair

I had a meeting last week with my disability insurance agent and was admittedly a little disgruntled after my meeting – not only by the fees but also by the WORDING of disability policies. Why hasn’t anyone before fought these insurance companies on their POOR policies!? I pray SO much that nothing happens to me where I need to access by disability policy and yet monthly, I still pay without fail my premium.


As a young woman in my 30s and having an overactive thyroid (a chronic autoimmune problem that has been a part of me since I was almost 23 years old) my disability policy is about $118 per month with dividends that reduce that by a little – but it is STILL a significant expense through the month. My chronic health issue that was more genetically linked than anything I have done has caused me significant concern in my life all by itself- in the fact I have it, medications, side effects, etc. That it is in underwriting as a rider on my disability insurance is a HUGELY annoying and irksome side effect that I cannot ignore and that I cannot forget every time my back feels a little sore or my thumb hurts a little bit after a full mouth extraction case!!!

As a dentist, it is a catch 22. If you don’t have disability you don’t have the option of having aid. You have disability, you pay out the nose and every little thing from the broken toe as a 3 month old to now comes into effect. As a female dentist, I am at a catch 23 (if there ever was a thing). Disability doesn’t include maternity leave – not even as a partial disability when you can’t work because your stomach is preventing you from moving and everything is swelling. As an independent contractor, I am at a catch 24 (again I am making it up), as I do not have workman’s compensation. Disability is all on me. And The wording in my disability policies regarding my inability to be paid if I ever REALLY NEED disability, unless I am a vegetable (which I hope to God I never have to even think about), really makes me LIVID!!!

I have two different policies with two different companies- but what about the wording policies look like regarding % disability (what makes me 18% disabled vs. 19% vs 20%) and how is that even measured??? Why is one policy significantly less but pays more – is the wording of the policy going to make it impossible for me to get access to disability? So what am I paying for?!?! And why do I still need to keep adding more and more money to a policy that I don’t even know I’ll get access to.
Insurance is something we all have JUST IN CASE – but we ALL pray we don’t ever have to need it. But, in my humble opinion, if we need it, we should be able to get it – without games, without headache. Insurance claims, health or otherwise, and the companies are formidably known for denying claims and people are FIGHTING for payment. In health cases, I strongly believe that this shouldn’t be so. If you are disabled and you have to fight not only for your life, family and livelihood AND have to fight the insurance company just on semantics bothers me IMMENSELY.

So…I guess I am VERY passionate about this. But my question is – what do we do??? What about legislation? What about dentist and people’s rights? I know that some people abuse the system but that is NOT everyone by any means. Do I continue to pay my disability insurance monthly and pray I don’t have to use it, and say YAY and HOORAY because I pay something and get nothing!!!?? Or do I not have disability insurance, and get screwed because I don’t even have the option of having assistance?

I always try to be positive – but so far all the alternatives sound, all around, questionable. HELP!

image courtesy of: sagacheapinsurance.com