Disability Insurer Profiles: Northwestern Mutual
In this series, we’re taking a look at some of the most popular disability insurance companies for doctors. See our profiles of MassMutual and MetLife. Northwestern Mutual is another disability insurer that specifically markets its disability policies to physicians and dentists.
In 2014, the company insured 476,000 people through 727,000 individual disability policies. Northwestern Mutual prides itself on paying more dividends that its competitors. In order to do that, of course, it must maintain consistently high profit levels.
Company: Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Associated Entities: Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Co., Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co., The Frank Russell Co.
Assets: $217.1 billion in 2014.
Notable Policy Features: Northwestern Mutual sells policies with an “own occupation” definition of total disability. However, these disability insurance policies are often only truly “own occupation” for a limited amount of time, after which they become any occupation policies (only providing benefits if you are unable to work in any job) or “no work” own occupation policies (only providing benefits if you are unable to perform your job duties and are not working in another job).
For instance, a Northwestern Mutual policy might include the following definition:
Total Disability. Until the end of the Initial Period [defined elsewhere as 60 months of benefits], the Insured is totally disabled when is unable to perform the principal duties of his occupation. After the Initial Period [i.e., 60 months], the Insured is totally disabled when he is unable to perform the principal duties of his occupation and is not gainfully employed in any occupation.
In order to make sure a Northwestern Mutual disability insurance policy keeps the own occupation definition for as long as you hold the policy, you may need to purchase an additional benefit rider.
Read more about Northwestern Mutual’s interpretation of its own occupation policies.
Claims Management Approach: Some of the claims strategies that Northwestern Mutual is known to use include conducting in-home field interviews on top of third-party surveillance, hiring its own medical consultants to review claimants’ records and opine on whether or not they are disabled, and demanding that claimants (especially those with mental conditions) undergo “independent” medical examinations (IMEs) with providers of Northwestern Mutual’s choosing.
These profiles are based on our opinions and experience. Additional source(s): Northwestern Mutual’s 2013 Annual Report; Northwestern Mutual Fact Sheet 2014; Forbes.com.
