Worker compensation insurance is mandatory in most states and heavily regulated, so there is little wiggle room. However, some states do not require you, as the employer, to cover yourself, so eliminating that coverage could save you a substantial amount. This is only worth considering, of course, if you’re in excellent health and have very good personal health and disability coverage.
Disability insurance is not something to skimp on, but if you are approaching retirement age and have no major health issues, you may be able to decrease your coverage, or even eliminate it entirely if your retirement plan is far enough along.
Liability insurance is likewise no place to pinch pennies, but you might be able to add an “umbrella” policy providing comprehensive catastrophic coverage, which may allow you to decrease your regular coverage, or raise your deductible limits.
Two additional policies to consider are office overhead insurance, to cover the costs of keeping your office open should you be temporarily incapacitated, and employee practices liability insurance (EPLI), which protects you from lawsuits brought by militant or disgruntled employees. I covered EPLI in detail several months ago.
If you are over 50, I strongly recommend long-term-care insurance as well. It’s relatively inexpensive if you buy it while you’re still healthy, and it could save you and your heirs a load of money and aggravation on the other end. If you have shouldered the expense of caring for a chronically ill parent or grandparent, you know what I’m talking about. More about that next month.
Dr. Eastern practices dermatology and dermatologic surgery in Belleville, N.J. He is the author of numerous articles and textbook chapters, and is a longtime monthly columnist for Dermatology News. Write to him at dermnews@mdedge.com.