Health concerns loom large in employees’ minds, particularly thefinancial aspects — which can be catastrophic. But while many ofthose concerns could be allayed by disability insurance,employees don’t seem to know enough about it to benefit.

That’s according to Lincoln Financial’s special report “M.O.O.D.(Measuring Optimism, Outlook and Direction) of America on EmployeeBenefits,” which found that only 18 percent of employees feel veryconfident that they could pay the resulting bills if they werestruck by serious illness or injury.

And those employees are definitely worried: Approximately halfof American employees fear cancer, while 31 percent are afraid ofheart attacks and chronic illnesses. Another 28 percent are afraidof what car accidents could do.

But when it comes to disability insurance, only 67percent of those employees who are offered it through theiremployers actually enroll in it. Instead they rely on the familiar,participating in such benefits as life insurance and dentalcoverage — which have enrollment rates of 81 percent and 90percent, respectively.

Even retirement plans, which can confound many workers with alltheir choices, see enrollment rates amongrespondents of 83 percent, while health insurance, despite itscost, comes in at a whopping 94 percent.

But not so disability insurance. Among the 33 percent ofemployees who are eligible for disability coverage but don’tenroll, the common sentiments are that “it’s unnecessary right now”or it’s “too expensive.” Instead, workers are prepared to run uptheir credit card balances (40 percent), raid retirement accounts(29 percent) or borrow from friends or family (26 percent) to payunexpected medical bills that keep them out of work.

Only 30 percent even claim to know a lot about disabilityinsurance, but 95 percent say they’re more likely to enroll inbenefits they feel “familiar with and educated about.” Thatobviously translates to other benefits, so additional employeeeducation about disability insurance could result in higherenrollment rates — and lower levels of fear when it comes to healthconcerns.