Unum Study Shows an Increase in Musculoskeletal Disability Claims Over the Past Decade
As we have discussed in previous posts, musculoskeletal disorders are very common among dentists due to the repetitive movements and awkward static positions required to perform dental procedures. Unum, one of the largest private disability insurers in the United States, recently released statistics showing an increase in the filing of musculoskeletal disability claims over the past 10 years.
According to Unum’s internal statistics, long term disability claims related to musculoskeletal issues have risen approximately 33% over the past ten years, and long term disability claims related to joint disorders have risen approximately 22%. In that same period of time, short term disability claims for musculoskeletal issues have increased by 14%, and short term disability claims for joint disorders have risen 26%.
This trend may lead to Unum directing a greater degree of attention towards musculoskeletal claims as the volume of these claims continues to increase. Musculoskeletal claims are often targeted by insurance companies for denial or termination because they are easy to undercut—primarily due to the limitations of medical testing in this area. For instance, it can be difficult to definitively link a patient’s particular subjective symptoms to specific results on an MRI, and other tests, such as EMGs, are not always reliable indicators of the symptoms that a patient is actually experiencing. Insurers also typically conduct surveillance on individuals with neck and back problems in an effort to collect footage they can use to deny or terminate the claim. While such footage is usually taken out of context, it can be very difficult to convince the insurance company (or a jury) to reverse a claim denial once the insurer has obtained photos or videos of activities that appear inconsistent with the insured’s disability.
As we have noted in a previous post, Unum no longer sells individual disability insurance policies, so its disability insurance related income is now limited to the premiums being collected on existing policies. Because benefit denials and termination are the primary ways insurers like Unum can continue to profit from a closed block of business, and musculoskeletal claims are on the rise, Unum may begin subjecting this type of claim to even higher scrutiny.
References:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160505006009/en/Aging-obesity-tip-scales-10-year-review-Unum
