Greetings!

If you would like to discuss disability insurance, please respond back to this email.

There are a lot of insurance agents who will happily try to sell you a disability policy. That doesn't mean they know what they're doing. That doesn't mean they have access to the right policies. All it means is that they took a weekend course and scored above 70% on a 100-question multiple choice exam. My 11 and 14-year-old sons could probably do the same (when they are old enough to get insurance licensed), build a website, and start selling disability insurance to physicians — just like their dad. The bar is that low.

What 99% of agents won't tell you is that they lack access to exclusive GSI policies — policies that require no health questions, ignore pre-existing conditions, and disregard hazardous activities. The overwhelming majority of residents and fellows would benefit from these policies. Very few agents can actually offer them.

And if an insurance agent hands you a slick five-company comparison grid? Run.

Those 5 company grids are a magic trick. No two disability policies are the same. Different wording. Different definitions. Different features. An insurance policy is a 60–80 page legal contract, and every word matters. When an agent squeezes five of them onto a one-page grid, what they're really saying is: "I don't know how to interpret what I'm selling you — so here are five completely different contracts, let's pretend they're all the same, and just pick one so I can collect my commission and move on to the next physician."

GSI policies are almost never on those grids — not because they aren't the best option, but because most agents can't access them. They just don't disclose that. Because if they did, the whole facade falls apart.

GSI — Guaranteed Standard Issue — offers the widest scope of coverage for the overwhelming majority of residents and fellows. No medical underwriting. No pre-existing condition exclusions (at least on the Guardian GSI...). No lifestyle restrictions. For most physicians in training, it's the right answer. You just won't find it on a grid from an agent who can't offer it because agents that cannot offer GSI policies aren't in the business of turning away a potential commission check.

I've been the #1 individual disability insurance broker in the nation with Guardian for multiple years running. I don't show misleading grids. I don't advertise on "for physicians" blogs that likely have a commission sharing agreement with their advertisers. I don't do TikToks. I simply provide comprehensive disability insurance policies to residents and fellows. Period.

How to Vet a Disability Insurance Agent (so you don't get yourself in a pickle)...

Before you sign any insurance application, get the agent to answer these two questions in writing — so you have it documented if they're not being straight with you:

1. Is there a GSI policy available at my hospital?



2. Can you offer it to me? If not, can you refer me to an agent who can?

Any hesitation is your cue to find another insurance professional.