Is it too late to get disability insurance?

[KristiV]

I was planning on taking the disability insurance the next school year (I am a teacher) so that when I got pregnant and had our baby I would be able to have a back up plan for days missed. Can I still get disability insurance if I have been told I probably have IC? The only test I have had has been urine tests and a CT scan.

[tigger_gal]

are you currently on social security disability? or are you talking anout short term disability from work?

[ICNDonna]

Most group plans cover pre-existing conditions.

Donna

[KristiV]

I am a teacher, and the past two years I have been asked around enrollment time if I want to take disability insurance. The main reason I have considered it is for pregnancy issues. I am not pregnant now, but hope to be in the next year or so. I would like to now get long term disability insurance just in case. I do not believe that I am one of those ICer's that will be disabled from this disease, but am scared that I have waited to long and if they see that my doctor believes I have IC, they will reject me. I am able to work every day since I have started hurting from this in January and from what I have read mostly the disease does not progress, so I think I will be alright. If I am wrong, please correct me. Also, approximately how many people (I know this is a guess) do you think become disabled from this disease? Do they become disabled from the pain? frequency? other conditions?

[GriffsMommy]

Hi Kristi, I would just ask your benefits person at work about this because they'll find out that you have the IC sooner or later anyway. I hope that the IC won't come into play but I really have no idea.

As for being on disability permanantly because of IC, I KNOW that I read a figure somewhere that said what percetange of people are on disability and wouldn't you know I have no idea where I saw it or where to find it again. Maybe someone else can give you a figure. I do know that a lot of members here at the IC network are on disability, I know that many of them have other medical problems in addition to their IC though.

[tigger_gal]

oh diffently, you may have to wait until open enrollment. you may need a reason to add it on now mid year if that is the case.
Here is a good example:
I had to talk to our ins lady today. If Ash isn't in school full time her insurance drops on her 19 birthday. but if she goes to college in Jan they will add her back. the change in status, is she went back to school.
We are trying to add Jake, and found out that the lady that took over for her during maternity leave denied allowing us to add him made a huge mistake, so now we are trying to get him on it now but need to have something that indicates there was a change in the status of why. We are working with the idea that since the plan changed from trying to reunite mother and child, to rights signed off and moving towards adoption.

[Briza]

I'm a teacher, too, and disability insurance is a supplemental insurance, sounds like yours is, too. In my district, if you don't enroll at the time they have the reps visit the school, then you have to go out on your own to find some. It could even be with the same company, but the advantage of enrolling when the reps are there is that the premium I would pay isn't taxed. They call it the Cafeteria Plan...all of your insurance premiums are taken out of your pay, pre-tax. What I read about the dis. ins. that was offered at my school, is if you have even just seen the doctor about symptoms, without even a diagnosis or treatment, if you eventually do get at dx. IC would be considered a pre-existing condition and I would have to wait a year before I could use the ins. for disability for IC. Even so, I wish I had bought it then, because now, several years later, I did have to take med leave from work because of IC and lost a lot of income.

[kadi]

I'm also a teacher. I am required to pay for a small disability plan through my school district, but I also contracted for supplemental disability insurance several years ago. They had a list of pre-existing conditions that would make a person ineligible. IC was not one of them. They did say however, that the IC would be a pre-existing condition unless I'd been medication & symptom free for over a year. They said they would cover new conditions but would not cover the IC until I'd worked for 2 years while on their policy without filing any claims relating to IC. Next Fall will make the 2 years & it will be a relief to know I'll have this extra protection..

Definitely look into it. The peace of mind is worth the little extra money (and it is pre-tax, so it's not really as much as it seems).
Good luck!

[mary124]

I know that when I tried to get short term disability thru my insurance (I couldn't because they detected my heart problem which led them to my IC of course). I had to fill out paper work at the beinging of the enrollment period to see if I was illegible. (the only insurance that I have is my health insurance). So I don't know how things work with your insurance company, but it might be worth it to look into it. Good luck.

[Briza]

That's great Kadi. I'm glad you enrolled then and are now finally going to be eligible for disability ins, if needed, for IC. I kick myself in the butt for not getting it several years ago, when I was first diagnosed with IC. I just never thought I would get to the point where my symptoms would return so bad and I would need so much time off.

[KristiV]

I am so relieved that I probably didn't miss out on my chance to enroll. I was concerned that I would not be able to enroll because they think I have IC. I don't mind waiting a year or two for any amount of coverage. I can handle a scenario like that. I would probably have to wait until my rep comes back next year to ask these questions, right?

[kadi]

Yes, and I asked the rep to send me a dated letter stating that IC was not exclusionary & what the conditions were for it to be covered. Hopefully if I ever do need to file a claim on that insurance, the letter will prevent any unpleasant "surprises".