Summary Of Alabama Specific Policy Features*

Percent More or Less than Average Premium

  • Male: -0.79%

  • Female: 2.83%

Policy Options from All of the Big Five Companies:

Yes

Unisex Policies Offered

No

*The information on this page is accurate as of the date this page was created, September 2021.  Policies and discounts vary by individual circumstances. For information on your specific options, please consult with one of our advisors.

If you’re a physician in Alabama, it’s important to know the value of having disability insurance in your state and the level of efficiency available with working through Pattern to get disability insurance.

There are currently more than 6,500 active physicians (https://www.statista.com/statistics/209431/number-of-active-physicians-in-alabama-by-specialty-area/) in Alabama in a variety of specialties including:

  • Psychiatry: 507

  • Surgery: 747

  • Anesthesiologists: 571

  • Emergency medicine: 492

  • Radiology: 631

  • Cardiology: 411

  • Oncology: 248

  • Endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism: 73

  • All other specialties: 2,856

As of 2021, Alabama’s resident population stood at almost 5 million people (https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/alabama-population), with approximately 94 people living per square mile and total surface area of 52,420 square miles. The average family and household size for Alabama residents is 3, with more than 880,000 married households.

Importance of Disability Insurance in Alabama

Why is physician disability insurance so important for you in Alabama? In a career where mobility and extensive knowledge is vital to taking care of your patients, it’s extremely important to protect yourself in the event that either your mobility or knowledge is in jeopardy. Regardless if your disability happens to be small or large, each can significantly affect your ability to do your job.

Common disabilities that create difficulties in medical professionals’ job performances include:

  • Bone breaks

  • Musculoskeletal disorders

  • Cancer

  • Childbirth complications

  • Vehicle accidents

  • Mental health disorders

The cost of disability insurance can vary depending on a variety of factors but costs an average of 1–3 percent of your annual salary. Regardless if you get injured early into your career or later, long-term disability insurance generally covers you until age 65 to make sure your income is replaced until retirement.

On the other end of the spectrum is short-term disability insurance, which covers you for injuries such as:

  • Arthritis

  • Vehicle accident injuries

  • Childbirth

  • Back injuries

How Pattern Works with Alabama Physicians

The best way for physicians to get disability insurance is to work with Pattern. We offer a three-step process for all physicians:

  1. First, you will fill out a simple form to request policy quotes from the Big 5 Companies.

  2. The expert representatives at Pattern will walk you through all aspects of your five policy quotes to determine which riders and features work best for you.

  3. After you’ve made your decision on the company to move forward with, you’ll need to submit a short application and leave the rest to your Pattern representatives. We’ll work with your chosen company to make sure you get what you want and that your income is insured.

When reviewing the most comprehensive disability insurance policy, the two most important features are the Elimination period and the maximum Benefit period. The Elimination period (or “waiting period”) is the time you must be disabled before the policy begins paying your benefit. Elimination periods tend to range from 60–365 days, but the most common time period is 90 days. The shorter you want the Elimination period to be, the higher cost of the policy will be.

The second most important feature is the maximum Benefit period, which is set when you get your policy. Maximum benefit periods range from 2–10 years or can be set to expire at ages 65, 67, or 70.

Our focus is entirely on getting you the best physician disability insurance option that fits your needs. There is zero risk in the application process and our entire service is free to you, guaranteeing that you’ll save money in the long run.

Working with Pattern vs. Your Employer

You might be thinking, “My employer offers physician disability insurance, so why should I work with Pattern?” Well, there are several reasons why working with Pattern to get individual physician disability insurance is much better for you than working with your employer.

It’s very probable that your employer’s disability insurance policy is NOT a true own-occupation policy. In case you didn’t read Chapter 2 of Pattern’s Disability Insurance Guide, true own-occupation disability insurance pays you your full policy benefit if you can’t perform your specific duties, but are still employed elsewhere.

For example, you get disability insurance while you’re a trauma surgeon, but after getting injured you decide to get a job as an ER doctor. You’ll still be considered disabled and can collect your full benefit payout.

There are several other reasons to work with Pattern for your physician disability insurance, such as:

  • Employer policies are non-transferable if you decided to move to a different employer.

  • Any money received from an employer policy would be taxed, leaving you with less take-home pay.

  • Your employer can cancel or change your disability insurance policy at any time.

Pattern is dedicated to helping you in your journey to get physician disability insurance. We’ve developed the Beginner's Guide to Disability Insurance as a comprehensive digital guidebook to help you understand the many different areas of physician disability insurance.