NU Online News Service, April 30, 2:16 p.m.EDT

Most employees do not know anything about group-disabilityinsurance, but when they learn about it, 9 out of 10 employees saythey want the coverage and are willing to pay for it, according toa survey released today.

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and employee-benefitsinsurer Unum released a survey of nearly 1,200 employees askingthem about their knowledge and understanding of disabilityinsurance.

The survey found that 13 percent of allemployees say they know a lot about this insurance. Less than halfof those who say they have coverage know how much it costs, a totalof 41 percent and 47 percent know what their benefits are.

When they learned about the plan, 90 percent say they wantcoverage and 86 percent say they would pay half of a $30 a monthpremium. More than half, 56 percent, say they would pay the entirepremium.

The survey has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent.

During a press conference today, Stephen Brobeck, CFA'sexecutive director and Thomas R. Watjen, president and chiefexecutive officer of Unum discussed the results and itsimplications.

Brobeck says workers need better protection of their finances.Statistics show that one-third of people who go out on disabilityare out of work for injury or illness for three months or more.

He says employees need to be prepared should a long-term illnessbefall them, but unless they are informed of the benefitsavailable, they will not take advantage of the programs.

Brobeck says small businesses are the least likely to have aprogram. Seventy-one percent feel the federal government shouldoffer some kind of one-time tax incentive to help small businessesto help create disability-insurance programs.

Brobeck says the survey finds the program most popular amonglower-income people who have less access to the program throughtheir insurer. Less than half, 46 percent, of employees withhousehold incomes under $25,000 have access to the coverage, while80 percent of those with an income of $100,000 or more say theiremployer offers disability insurance.

However, 72 percent of the lower-income group and 51 percent ofthe upper-income group say it is important to them to have thecoverage, and both are willing to pay for it.

Brobeck also says it would be useful to set-up a standards forthese plans, because none exist, and it would give the consumerssome point from which to judge individual programs.

Watjen says that having a disability-insurance program can “addan adequate standard of living with the insurance while gettingback to work.”

He says adding a disability insurance program would mean workerswould be less likely to need public assistance while out of work.But any program starts with awareness, he says.

Watjen says he hopes this survey will begin a dialogue and “helpelevate the profile of the topic,”

“Every consumer is vulnerable and should be making this part oftheir financial plan,” says Watjen.

This story was updated at 2:42 p.m. EDT