As the economy improves, brokers and employers are doing more to expand benefit offerings to workers who are now less concerned about job security and more concerned about job benefits. One type of benefit that has seen recent growth is disability insurance, which experts say provides a valuable protection for workers at a relatively low cost. ≥≥

“There's been a resurgence in disability insurance sales,” says Kathy Plummer, director of product and market development with the disability and life insurance company Unum. “It was very slow before the recession. But I think we're going to see increases in coverage.”

Industry experts say in recent years, a couple of factors have worked to dull interest in benefits such as disability insurance. For one, the recession had many companies focused on cost cutting. Benefits outside medical insurance were often placed at a lower priority. As the recession faded, employers were then hit with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Understanding those changes and complying with new regulations have been a top focus of employers and HR departments.