No one thinks they will become a statistic. However, far too many do.
Consider the following compiled by the Council for Disability Awareness:
Just over 1 in 4 of today's 20 year-olds will become disabled before they retire
Over 36 million Americans are classified as disabled: about 12% of the total population. More than 50% of those disabled Americans are in their working years, from 18-64
Over 5% of all U.S. workers, 8.3 million disabled wage earners, were receiving Social Security Disability Benefits at the conclusion of March, 2011
The average long-term disability claim duration is 31.2 months
1 in 8 workers will be disabled for 5 years or more during their working careers
How does it happen?
When asked to picture a disabled person in their mind, most people see someone in a wheelchair. But disabilities encompass much more than that.
According to CDA's 2011 Long-Term Disability Claims Review, the leading causes of new claims in 2010 were:
Musculoskeletal/connective tissue disorders (arthritis, back pain, spine/joint disorders, fibromytis, etc.) caused 27.5% of new claims and is the leading cause of ongoing claims (30.1%)
Cancer was the 2nd leading cause of new claims at 14.6% and the 4th leading cause of ongoing claims
Injuries and poisoning caused 10.3% of new claims
Cardiovascular/circulatory disorders caused 9.1% of new claims
Mental disorders caused 9.1% of new claims
Approximately 95% of disabilities are caused by illnesses rather than accidents
Here is a chart of claim diagnosis categoriesthat provides clear examples of common causes of disability.
What are the consequences?
44% of U.S. families spend more than they earn
60% of adult Americans have NO savings earmarked for emergencies
71% of Americans would find it very difficult or somewhat difficult to meet their current financial obligations if their next paycheck were delayed for one week
65% of working Americans say they could not cover normal living expenses even for a year if their employment income was lost; 38% could not pay their bills for more than 3 months
67% of workers in the private sector have no long-term disability insurance
"I never thought it would or could happen to me."
"I wasn't prepared for the financial hardships my family endured."
"I am so thankful for my disability policy. It saved my family."
