Summary Of Connecticut 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.

Do you currently practice medicine in Connecticut? If you are one of Connecticut’s more than 9,000 physicians, you should be considering investing in the security of your finances by getting physician disability insurance.

For physicians, disability insurance is a type of insurance that replaces your income in case you become injured or get an illness that prevents you from working. There are a variety of definitions of physician disability of insurance to understand, including short-term, long-term, true own-occupation, and more.

As a Physician in Connecticut

In the United States, Connecticut is the third smallest state by area with less than 5,600 square miles in total land and water area. Despite the low area size, Connecticut has a resident population of more than 3.6 million. Compared to the 9,071 active physicians in the state, for every one physician there are 397 residents.

The active physicians work in a variety of specialties including:

  • Psychiatry: 1,272

  • Surgery: 836

  • Radiology: 822

  • Emergency Medicine: 814

  • Anesthesiologists: 693

  • Cardiology: 633

  • Oncology: 402

  • Endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism: 232

  • All other specialties: 3,367

Healthcare is one of Connecticut’s leading industries in terms of funds generated and major employer in the state. As of 2019, the combined health, educational and social services sector is the largest single industry with a combined workforce of 342,600 people.

The Most Comprehensive Disability Insurance

So what’s the most comprehensive disability insurance option? As we cover in Chapter 2 of our Guide to Disability Insurance, there are different types of definitions of disability including:

  • True own-occupation

  • Transitional own-occupation

  • Modified own-occupation

True own-occupation pays you your full benefit if you can’t perform your specialty, but can still be employed elsewhere. For example, if you’re a neuropsychiatrist who becomes disabled and can’t perform your specific duties, but decide to become a professor of psychiatry. You will be paid your full disability insurance benefit, while still collecting your income as a professor.

Transitional own-occupation is similar to true own-occupation, but your total net income can’t exceed the total original earned income from your former job. This means if you were making $11,000 a month prior to your disability, and afterward, you began working as a teacher earning $6,000 a month. Your transitional own-occupation policy would pay you a $5,000 monthly benefit amount; this combined with your $6,000 from teaching would equal the $11,000 you were making before your disability.

With modified own-occupation, a person won’t be able to collect benefits even if that person wants to work in another profession. Options tend to be more limited than true or transitional own-occupation, with the physician either being totally disabled and living off their benefit check, or going back to full-time work without their benefit.

How Pattern Helps

At Pattern, our goal is to provide you with the resources and expertise needed both to fully understand physician disability insurance, but also to find the best policy for you. As an independent agency, we don’t have any affiliation with any of the Big 5 Companies and are only looking out for your best interests.

When you work with Pattern, we work with you to complete 3 simple steps:

  1. Request your quotes: you fill out a quote request form, and we submit it to each of the Big 5 Companies

  2. Compare your options: you review and compare your five quotes. Your Pattern support team will be there to guide you through the policies, answer your questions, provide examples, and make sure you have a clear understanding of each policy.

  3. Apply and buy: after you’ve made a decision, we will help you complete and submit a short application. From there, we will handle the insurance paperwork and get your income insured.

For frequently asked questions about physician disability insurance, visit Chapter 8 of our Guide to Disability Insurance!