Do Non-Procedural Specialty Physicians Need Disability Insurance?
- Mar 31
- 6 min read
Physicians may assume that disability insurance is more important for doctors in procedural specialties. For example, we’ve heard radiologists in our online physician community ask if they need disability insurance because it’s unlikely they’ll go blind. But there are plenty of ways disabilities can impact your career as a physician, regardless of your specialty. Physicians in non-procedural specialties can still face significant financial consequences from a disability. Understanding why can help you decide whether a personal policy makes sense for your situation (spoiler alert: the answer is almost always yes, especially for earlier career doctors).
If you need help securing a policy, we have several partner insurance agents and companies that specialize in working with doctors.
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Why disability insurance is important for all physicians
As a physician, you’ve spent years training for your career. Many physicians graduate with multiple six figures of student loan debt, and far behind on retirement goals compared to those that they went to college with. Because of the long training path required and delayed earnings during residency and fellowship, physicians (and their loved ones) typically rely heavily on their future income.
A disability–even a partial one–that prevents you from practicing medicine can dramatically affect your financial stability. Disabilities can arise from numerous conditions and circumstances that can impact your ability to work in your clinical role, such as:
A stroke or heart attack
A chronic illness
Musculoskeletal disorders
Neurological conditions
Mental health conditions
Cancer or other serious medical diagnoses
A car accident
These are all specialty agnostic and can happen to any physician.
What are the chances of becoming disabled?
Estimates suggest that about one in four (25%) people become disabled before reaching retirement age, with the odds becoming higher as you get older.
The average long-term disability claim lasts over 30 months (more than 2.5 years).
The misconception about disability insurance for non-procedural specialties
Some physicians believe that if they do not perform procedures, they could simply continue to work in some capacity, even if they experience a disability. For example, a family medicine doctor may assume they could still see patients despite a physical limitation they encounter later in their career.
They may very well be correct, but it isn’t a guarantee. Disabilities do not always allow for partial functioning. With some conditions, practicing medicine safely may no longer be possible. With others, you may be able to practice partially, but it could limit the amount of work you could do or the number of hours that you can do it, which could substantially decrease your overall earnings, or your ability to be hired.
When disability insurance may be especially important for non-procedural specialties
Disability insurance protects one of your greatest financial assets: your long-term earning potential. It is a critical component of financial planning as you build toward financial independence. Until you are financially independent, disability insurance can help bridge the gap in worst-case scenarios to allow you to still reach your financial goals.
While most physicians need disability insurance (and we cover the type of coverage you should secure below), it’s especially crucial when you:
Are early in your career with limited savings
Are the primary earner in your household
Have dependents who rely on your income
Carry significant student loan or other debt
Why the type of disability insurance you get matters
Many employers and medical societies offer group disability insurance coverage. While this coverage can be a nice benefit, especially if premiums are subsidized, they often have limitations that can still leave doctors exposed. Additionally, if you leave the job or no longer qualify for benefits (or if your job changes its benefits), it may be too late to secure your own coverage.
Related PSG resources:
Most doctors should secure an individual policy that is true “own-occupation” coverage.
With own-occupation coverage, you can receive disability benefits if you are unable to perform the duties of your specific specialty–even if you are capable of working in another job.
For example, if you develop a condition that prevents you from practicing clinical medicine but allows you to work in a nonclinical role, such as part-time tutoring, an own-occupation policy may still provide benefits. This protection can be valuable even for non-procedural physicians whose lifestyles depend on their ability to practice medicine.
A look at a few average salaries from our how much doctors make by specialty series as examples:
Family medicine physician: $314,000
Internal medicine physician: $295,000
Pediatrician: $253,000
Psychiatrist: $329,000
Radiologist: $558,000
Compare these to the average annual salary in the US across all jobs, which is closer to the $60,000-$65,000 range. A career change due to a disability can have a significant financial impact in a single year, let alone for the rest of your career.
Where can I get an own-occupation disability insurance policy if I need one?
If you’ve held out on disability insurance because you thought you didn’t need it, there’s no better time than today to get coverage in place. If you need to shop for a policy, we recommend working with an independent broker who can help you shop across the major carriers and compare options. Here are a few companies we partner with that have helped the members of our community.
Pattern: This convenient option will allow you to enter your information and immediately begin generating quotes from the major disability companies, as well as schedule a meeting with the Pattern team to discuss the options and figure out which plan is best for you. Many in the group have had a great experience with this process.
Moment Insurance: Complete your quote inquiry information in less than five minutes and easily schedule an appointment to speak with a dedicated, experienced disability insurance expert who will walk you through the process from start to finish and help you compare different options. Many in the group have worked with their experts previously, and had a great experience!
PolicyGenius: This is not a physician specific company, but well known in the insurance space. They may be a helpful resource if you are looking for another place for quotes. Make sure that you're comparing apples to apples in terms of true own occupation insurance, as not all fields emphasize the need for this equally.
Conclusion
As we all know too well as physicians, life can change overnight due to circumstances beyond our control. If you don’t have a plan for how you could realistically be financially stable and taken care of if disabled, you want disability insurance, regardless of your specialty. You’ve worked too hard to get to where you are today to leave it up to chance.
If you need help securing a disability insurance policy, contact one of our partners on our page of insurance agents for doctors.
Additional disability insurance resources for physicians
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Related PSG resources: