Military physicians often don’t receive the same praise and attention that their civilian counterparts do. Unfortunately, this means that they don’t receive the level of service that they deserve. In the context of disability protection, this has deleterious effects on their financial security and well-being. Military physician disability insurance mitigates those deleterious effects.
As a military physician, you are at a greater risk of suffering the financial consequences of a disability because the U.S. government only provides disability coverage for base pay. This means that non-base pay like incentives, allowances, and civilian pay are not covered. Non-base pay can make up a significant amount of your total compensation. Additionally, the fact that disability benefits received are taxed means that coverage is further reduced. Ultimately, you may only have 30% of your income covered in the event of a disability.
As a military physician, you must also prepare for life after service without the U.S. government-provided disability insurance. Waiting until after completion of service to obtain an individual policy is risky because disorders that resulted from time in the service can lead to a policy with exclusions or coverage being denied entirely. That is why, while you are young and healthy, it is important to establish a specialty-specific, non-cancelable, and guaranteed renewable policy with the ability to increase coverage in the future without a medical exam. Doing so secures you a guaranteed level and cost-effective premium rate that protects you for your entire medical career. It also guarantees you the ability to increase your coverage regardless of any health changes that may occur during your time in the service.
Thank you for your commitment and service to this country. We strive for the same in our service. That is why we created our military physician disability insurance guide.