What Every Dentist Needs to Know About Filing a Disability Insurance Claim by Ed Comitz, Esq.
About This Event
One-third of Americans will become disabled long enough to qualify for disability insurance benefits, and this rate is even higher for dentists. Three in four dentists suffer from musculoskeletal and other progressive conditions, leading nearly half to reduce their work hours during their careers. Despite these challenges, dentists often face denied disability claims. Our practice focuses on professional disability insurance claims, with 80% of our clients being dentists. Dentists are underinsured due to dental school debt and high-interest rates, leading many to work for large MSOs and DSOs with less control and higher stress. This course will explain the differences between individual, association (e.g., ADA), and employer-sponsored policies, helping dentists make informed decisions. It will also address why common disabilities among dentists are easily contested by insurers, outline claim investigation practices, and discuss unfair insurer practices. The course will cover the regulatory overhaul of a major carrier and the complexity of modern disability policies, highlighting how insurers have tightened key provisions, narrowing the scope of “true own-occupation” policies.
Learning Objectives
- Understand you must have disability insurance in a sufficient amount should you be unable to practice.
- Recognize important differences between individual, group and employer-sponsored/corporate policies.
- Know what to look for when choosing a policy, including the definition of a “
- true own-occupation policy”
- and other provisions that impact coverage if a claim needs to be filed.
- Understand how corporate dentistry has impacted disability insurance and disability insurance claims, and why it is important to have other policies to supplement this coverage.
- Be aware of dentists' top mistakes while filing claims and how to avoid them.