Open enrollment is when most Americans choose their workplace benefits for the coming year, but one major benefit tends to get passed over: disability insurance. According to a Barron’s article by Elizabeth O’Brien, about 1 in 4 of today’s 20-year-olds will become disabled before reaching retirement age, yet only about 50% of workers can even say for sure whether their employer offers disability coverage. With the Trump administration proposing changes to Social Security disability eligibility rules, private coverage is becoming even more worth paying attention to.
The article breaks down how to evaluate disability insurance during enrollment, including how much coverage you actually need (a general guideline is 60% to 70% of your income through a combination of short- and long-term policies), how taxation works depending on who pays the premium, and why factoring in inflation protection matters. It’s a quick, practical read for anyone making benefits decisions right now.