Many Baby Boomers Incorrectly Believe They Are Protected Against the Risk of ...( WASHINGTON May 22 -- Many baby b...),Health

WASHINGTON, May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Many baby boomers incorrectly believe they have disability income protection, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Most say that disability insurance is important to protect their income, but nearly half say they do not have any disability income protection.

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"Baby boomers recognize the value disability insurance provides, but many mistakenly believe they are covered," said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP.

The survey assessed baby boomers' perceptions about the need for disability income protection. Most baby boomers (56 percent) say that disability income insurance is important to protect their income should the primary wage earner in their household become disabled and unable to work for an extended period of time. Only nineteen percent said that disability insurance was not at all important.

However, nearly half of baby boomers acknowledge they do not have any form of disability income protection. According to the survey, only 52 percent of baby boomers say they have either short-term or long-term disability insurance.

Many baby boomers incorrectly believe they have disability income protection. The survey found that 44 percent of baby boomers say they have long-term disability insurance provided through their employer or purchased individually. In reality, only 30 percent of workers in private industry have long-term disability insurance coverage, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Specifically, twelve percent of baby boomers said they purchased long-term disability coverage on their own. Data show that there are just over three million active individual disability insurance policies, which accounts for only about 2 percent of U.S. wo
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