If the insured does become disabled, a BOE policy pays a monthly benefit based on business expenses, not anticipated profits. The following are some business overhead expenses that are covered by BOE insurance:

- Rent or Mortgage Payments
- Employee Salaries and Benefits
- Utility Bills
- Property Taxes
- Accounting Fees, Legal Fees, and Professional Dues
- Malpractice and Other Business Insurance Premiums
- Maintenance and Janitorial Services
- Depreciation
- Interest on Business Debts
- Office Supplies

- Other Fixed Expenses that are Ordinary, Necessary, and Tax Deductible

Some policies even cover the salary of a temporary employee hired to do the duties of the disabled. Income taxes, the cost of inventory, and the cost of furniture are a few expenses that are not covered.

There are several key areas in which BOE insurance differs from personal disability insurance.

Benefit Periods – Usually, BOE insurance policies have short benefit periods that do not exceed two years. Remember that BOE insurance is not protecting your ability to generate income—that is what a personal disability policy does. Instead, BOE insurance allows you to keep your practice open, or at least pay for its expenses until you recover. In the case of a long-term disability, it offers you up to two years to make a business decision, such as whether to shut down or liquidate your practice, without worrying about accruing debt from business expenses.

Maximum Benefits – Personal disability insurance pays a monthly benefit as defined in the policy. BOE insurance policies offer a maximum monthly benefit, but only pay the actual overhead expenses if they are less than the maximum benefit. For example, if the maximum monthly benefit is $1,000 but actual business overhead expenses are only $600, the benefit paid is $600. With some insurers, that unused $400 benefit can be applied to increase future monthly maximums or to extend the benefit period.

Taxation – As long as premiums for personal disability insurance are paid with after-tax dollars, the benefits are tax free. DOE insurance benefits are subject to income tax, but the premiums are tax deductible as a business expense.

One similarity that BOE insurance and personal disability insurance policies share is that the sooner you purchase a policy, the better. Not only will you get lower rates when you are younger and generally in better health, but additional coverage can be purchased later without providing further evidence of medical insurability.

BOE insurance is a great idea for small practices with several physicians. If one physician is disabled, their portion of business overhead expenses will be covered by the policy so the other physicians are still able to practice without an extra financial burden.

Your practice should allow you to earn income, not be a financial parasite if you become disabled. BOE insurance doesn’t just protect your practice… it protects you.

Home, auto, life, and health insurance are certainly valuable investments, but failure to couple them with disability insurance will jeopardize your full financial security. For example, health insurance might cover the potential fiscal pitfalls of the medical bills that result from a disability, but the rest of your financial obligations are not going to come to a halt. Vehicle payments, mortgages, insurance premiums, and even savings for the future are all important expenses that cannot be ignored just because you are disabled. Unfortunately, the chances of becoming disabled might be greater than you think.
According to the 1994 Statistical Abstract of the United States, in the course of a year, odds are that 1 in 10 people between the ages of 25 and 64 will suffer a disability. When comparing that ratio to the odds of being victim of a house fire (1 in 122); injured in an automobile accident (1 in 160); or even of death (1 in 117), the advantage of disability insurance is clear. A February 2000 article in the New York Times reported that 1 in 7 people between the ages of 35 and 60 will become disabled for five years or more.

Despite these glaring statistics, many people still take a substantial risk by ignoring the benefits offered by a disability insurance policy. In 2000, a survey by The Consumer Federation of America and The American Council of Life Insurers found that 82 percent of people do not have long-term disability insurance or believe their coverage is inadequate.
The alternatives to disability insurance all carry a degree of risk or have some sort of drawback. Social Security benefits are difficult to qualify for and the disability must prevent you from working in any occupation. Worker’s compensation benefits are limited and only cover job-related sickness or injury. Other options—relying on savings, family, and/or friends—are not guaranteed and have considerable downside.
Guard your assets—don’t leave yourself vulnerable by neglecting to protect your income.