Cancer Remains Top Cause Of Unum's Disability Claims; Research Finds Supportive Workplace Can Aid Recovery

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 05 May 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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For the seventh consecutive year, cancer is the leading reason for long term disability absence in 2007, reports Unum (NYSE:UNM) in its annual review of disability claims. Unum, the leading provider of group disability insurance in the United States, reports that pregnancy is the No. 1 reason for short term disability.

With cancer topping 12 percent of its long term disability claims, Unum is driving a research and education effort that shows employers how they can support workers through cancer diagnosis and treatment and help those employees return successfully to the workplace.

"The individual who is a cancer survivor does not want to be a hostage to the disease," said Kenneth Mitchell, Ph.D., Unum's vice president of health and productivity. "The employer can be the difference."

May, which is Disability Insurance Awareness Month, presents a good opportunity to highlight the increasingly important role benefits play in keeping employees and businesses strong, Mitchell said.

As the workforce ages, the prevalence of cancer grows, and treatments for cancer become more effective, employers will need to adapt their human resource, employer relations and benefit strategies - a shift that benefits both the employer and the employee, Mitchell said.

In consultation with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and James Cancer Center at Ohio State University, Unum has conducted research into the factors that influence missed work time during cancer treatment and successful resumption of work following treatment.

"Survivorship rates have moved to levels that are more characteristic of a serious chronic disease than of a terminal illness," Mitchell said. "There are clear patterns of factors leading to return-to-work success, including early identification, age in long term disability cases and work site flexibility."

Unum's research reflects increasing survival rates and success in returning to work after cancer-related disability, as well as a growing number of paid cancer claims. Between 2001 and 2005 Unum reports:

- A 77 percent overall increase in return-to-work rates in cases of short term cancer disability
- A 24 percent overall increase in return-to-work rates in cases of long term cancer disability
- A 16 percent increase in cancer claims

The Unum study, "Beyond the Disease: Seeking a Quality of Work Life for Cancer Survivors," examines factors ranging from predictors of a successful return to work to the mental, emotional and financial strains of cancer.

The educational effort based on Unum's research is directed to employers, human resource and benefits specialists and disability insurance professionals.

"The American Cancer Society recognizes the transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor as the next critical area of attention," Mitchell said. "A cancer diagnosis no longer means death or permanent disability."

The number of cancer survivors in the U.S. has increased four-fold in the last 30 years, and the American Cancer Society predicts the prevalence of cancer will double by 2030, Mitchell said.

The National Institutes of Health estimate cancer cost more than $219 billion in 2007, including $89 billion in health care expenditures and $130 billion in lost productivity.

Top causes of disability absence for 2007

Unum received nearly 400,000 new disability claims in 2007 and paid $4.3 billion in disability benefits to individuals and their families.

Unum's annual report on disability trends is based upon 2007 data from the company's disability database which tracks 25 million covered individuals and an estimated 178,000 employer policies. The top causes of disability claims for 2007 include:

Long term

12.2 percent - Cancer
12.1 percent - Complications of pregnancy
11 percent - Back injuries
9.3 percent - Other injuries

Short term

21 percent - Normal pregnancy
10 percent - Injuries (not including back)
7 percent - Digestive/intestinal diseases
6 percent - Back injuries

About Unum

Unum is one of the leading providers of employee benefits products and services, and the largest provider of group and individual disability income protection insurance in the United States and the United Kingdom. Through its subsidiaries, Unum paid more than $6 billion in total benefits to customers in 2007.

http://www.unum.com