Cancer tops long-term disability claims.For the fourth consecutive year, cancer is the leading cause of long-term absence from work (more than 90 days) for working-age Americans, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. claims submitted during 2004 to UnumProvident. Rounding out the top five reasons for long-term disability claims are complications of pregnancy Complications of pregnancy are the symptoms and problems that are associated with pregnancy. There are both routine problems and serious, even potentially fatal problems. The routine problems are normal complications, and pose no significant danger to either the woman or the fetus. , joint/muscle/connective tissue diseases, back injuries and cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease . The American Cancer Society American Cancer Society, n.pr established in 1913, this national volunteer-based health organization is committed to the elimination of cancer through prevention and treatment and to diminishing cancer suffering through advocacy, scholarship, research, estimates that close to 1.4 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2005, and among the most prevalent types will be lung, breast, prostate prostate /pros·tate/ (pros´tat) a gland surrounding the bladder neck and urethra in the male; it contributes a secretion to the semen.prostat´ic pros·tate n. The prostate gland. adj. and colon. With improvements in medicine, including treatments with fewer side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. and better tests to catch cancer earlier, cancer patients may eventually need less time away from work, said Dr. Herbert Dean, an oncologist Oncologist A physician specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer Mentioned in: Retinoblastoma oncologist consultant with UnumProvident. "As treatments become more aggressive and complex, patients will still need to be out of the job. But with better outcomes, higher survival rates, decreased side effects, patients should be able to return to work, provided the employer has some awareness that the employee might need a transition period," Dean said. For instance, some patients may be able to return to work for several weeks at a time, but would need, to take a week off for chemotherapy treatment. Or patients might feel well enough to return to work on a part-time basis, or with a reduced workload. Employers can help employees with return-to-work policies, plus wellness education, Dean said. For instance, if every smoker smoker A person who smokes tobacco, almost always understood to be cigarettes Ratio of ♂:♀ smokers Philippines64/19, China61/7, Saudi Arabia53/2, Russia50/12 quit today, that could eliminate 25% of the cancers in the country, he said. UnumProvident's claims, in 2004, for short-term absence are dominated by normal pregnancy, followed by injuries (other than back), digestive/intestinal diseases, back/disc injuries and reproductive/urinary system diseases. The claims information is based upon 2004 data from UnumProvident's disability database, which tracks 26.8 million covered individuals and an estimated 178,000 employer policyholders. Disability Causes By the Numbers: Long-Term Disability: 12% Cancer 10% Complications of pregnancy 10% Joint/muscle/connective tissue diseases 9% Back injuries 8% Cardiovascular disease Short-Term Disability: 21% Pregnancy 9% injuries (not including back) 8% Digestive/intestinal 7% Back injuries 7% Reproductive/urinary system diseases Source: UnumProvident |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion