Short-term and Long-term Disability Benefits Now Available from Anthem Blue Cross for Small Businesses
June 14, 2016
For the first time in California, Anthem Blue Cross is offering short-term and long-term disability insurance benefits to groups with 10 to 50 employees. These new plans are in addition to the disability products that Anthem has traditionally offered to employers with 51 or more employees.
Short-term disability insurance pays a weekly benefit, typically for three to six months, to employees who are unable to do the work due to a non-work related illness or injury, including pregnancy. Long-term disability insurance provides income protection if an employee is unable to work for an extended period of time. Both short-term and long-term disability replaces typically 60 to 66 percent of income and the length of time the policy pays out depends on the plan design that is selected.
According to the Council for Disability Awareness, just over one in four of today’s 20-year olds will become disabled before they retire. But in 2014, only 39 percent of employees in the U.S. had short-term disability coverage, and only 33 percent had long-term disability coverage to help protect their incomes, per statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For just a fraction of your paycheck, having disability insurance can provide income stability.
While California does have a statutory disability plan (CA SDI), the state plan only replaces 55 percent of an employee’s income for up to 52 weeks. A short-term disability plan from Anthem would offer benefits on top of the state plan, replacing an additional five to 15 percent of an employee’s salary depending on the plan purchased. Anthem’s long-term disability plan extends that coverage for more complicated and longer duration claims. Both short and long term disability plans also include valuable extras not available in the state plan and are offered on top of CA SDI.
Through Anthem Whole Health ConnectionSM, disability, health, dental, vision, life and pharmacy products work together to bring more comprehensive care to employees. Employees who have disability and health care benefits can get extra help managing certain chronic conditions that may be associated with a disability.
“Disability plans provide a source of income when employees can’t work,” said Mike Wozny, president of Anthem Life. “But our disability plans do more than just replace wages. We can help employees who work for small businesses in California get back to a healthy, active life and back to work quickly and safely. Our disability case managers and medical nurse care managers share clinical information and work hand in hand to help employees get healthy and return to work faster.”
In addition, Anthem’s disability plans give employees services and support they can use at no extra cost. Our teams can help employees with everything from filing for Social Security disability benefits to reimbursement of workplace modification costs.
