As a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, you have a unique specialty that requires a unique disability insurance policy to protect your income. Guardian1 offers several advantages to CRNA's that are not available elsewhere in the industry, and are not available through your professional association - the AANA. In fact, over the last several years, we have seen a great number of CRNAs leaving the AANA disability plan for the benefits available through Guardian.
Top 3 Features to Look For as a CRNA
- True Own Occupation Coverage - As a CRNA, you have a very specific skill set that allows you to earn the high income that you do. An accident or illness could have a major impact on your income. If this were to occur, you'd want a disability insurance policy that doesn't reduce your monthly benefit if you have the ability and motivation to do something else. Many disability insurance policies will reduce or eliminate your monthly benefit if you chose to work in another occupation.
- Partial Disability Benefits - If you are able to work as a CRNA on a part-time basis due to an accident or illness and suffer a loss of income of 20%, this is called a partial disability. It's a common situation, as most disabilities are illnesses that come on slowly and cause you to scale back your hours rather than completely disable you. Some plans, especially those provided by professional associations like the AANA, require you to be totally disabled first. If you have an illness that slowly disables you, you could receive nothing from a plan like this.
- Guaranteed Pricing - Some policies don't guarantee their pricing and tend to raise the rates as you get older. This is common with policies offered through your professional association. This can cause you to be priced out of a policy at the time when you need it the most. Make sure you buy a policy that has the price locked in at the age you buy it and guarantees that it won't increase as you get older.