Disability Insurance Saves a Single Mom From Financial Ruin

Valerie King loved being a physician, and never imagined doing anything else with her life. When she transitioned from her medical residency to full-time work, her group disability insurance plan was about to terminate. Although Valerie never thought she would need it, her insurance agent advised her to convert her group plan to an individual disability policy so that she’d have ongoing coverage.

It’s a fortunate thing Valerie had that discussion with her agent. Just a few years into her practice, a condition called ulcerative colitis and a series of surgeries made it impossible for her to carry out her duties, and she found herself unable to practice the profession she loved.

It was her disability insurance that allowed her to survive financially and care for her three young daughters who she was raising as a single mother. If it weren’t for her the monthly payments she got through her disability insurance policy, she and her kids would have faced financial devastation.

“People understand death,” says Valerie. “You might die and need life insurance. What’s really hard to believe is that you might actually live and not be able to provide for your family.”

Valerie says that she is sharing her story so that others could learn from it: “Most people think, ‘It will never happen to me,’ but the truth is it can—and does. Everything else goes away if you don’t have disability insurance coverage and you can’t work.”